I would. It feels a bit painful, chopping off a great swathe of healthy growth, but it is not uncommon for chrysanthemums to be pinched out ('stopped') 5 or more times over a growing season. I often forget until I have to cut off a longer length than what's left behind...but the plants never seem to resent the continual pinching, nipping or lopping.

eta...I am presuming Minnesota mums are genetically similar to other autumn blooming 'mums, just hardier. Pls ignore my post if I am jumping to incorrect assumptions.

when i used to do it.. when they got to 6 inches.. i cut them back to 3.. and then when they grew 6 more.. or to 9.. i cut them back 3... etc.. last cutting in early august.. so they would grow and set buds for sept or october... i usually looked to outward facig buds if possible...

i dont know what a MN mum is.. but i cant believe it would differ per mum ...

4th of july was one of the trigger dates.. one month before early august...

if you dont prune them back.. when they bloom.. they might flop over...

so you are accomplishing two goals.. first.. the rare fall bloom we know mums for.. and also for aesthetic reasons..

ken

My brief q lacked important info

these are not tall willowly types

they are only about 4 to 5 inches tall now. i am not very familiar with their growth & flowering habits.

i had the startling idea to find their website and the information.

these are called ”Minnesota Mums” because they were deveoped by the U of Minn

to be particularly hardy in areas that have very cold winters .

@Marie Tulin Boston burbs z 6a, I chopped back my potted MM last week. This is the only way to minimize the total flop come September/October. (In fact I often cut them back again later in July.)

Ok

they are so very short

so i wondered

usually i dont hestitate but im having a failure of imagination of their growing into anything like floppy

off i go with pinchy fingers

I am sure I read that they can get to 4ft? For sure, I would be nipping away. You don't have to remove any length, just stop (pinch the very tip) and encourage branching at that point...and maybe a coupla more times so they continue to maintain the same density as they do lengthen...which can happen quite quickly,

i wasn't thinking as I was pinching because a lovely neighbor was talking my ear off about her nephew. Instead of pinching i hacked. Now i have a handful of woody sticks….

im so annoyed with myself….

So did you stick the cuttings into soil to root? Mums are super easy to root.

Absolutely agree, Cecily.

i have previously. To be sure we are talking about the same thing, do you mean the soft snippings ftom the top of the stem?

would the woodier parts root as well? would they grow leaves along the stem?.

i can experiment but inquiring minds want to know now.

Either the soft tips or the woodier stems will work. The soft tips will root quickly - can strike in a week and have visible roots after 2 weeks. I do keep mine under a tight cloche. The semi-ripe slips will take a bit longer and, if you have any, will root faster with some rooting hormone (I use Rhizopon green powder). I will also cover them, but with more ventilation,. I am not a great grower of cuttings - seed has usually been my usual propagating choice, but , I rarely pass up the chance to do a few chrysanths (or salvia and scented pelargoniums).

Gee i might as well do it right.

what sort growing container do you use, pots or trays or whatevers handy.

do you get blooms ib year one?

I sometimes use a Jiffy 7 38mm pellet, but they are a bit spendy so I often use a round pot with a cut-up soda bottle. With woodier cuttings, I use between 7-9mm square pot and put 15 of them in a standard seed tray (or 6 x 9cm pots in a half tray) and cover with a plastic lid. It's usually best for me to stow them a bit out of the way (cos I am often tempted to meddle). Once given an initial watering, they really are best left alone.

I am not terribly picky about the cutting mix - I mostly try to add something to keep the mix aerated, well draining and evenly moist - perlite in an ideal world, but honestly, have used various pea shingle, clay granules, chicken grit, even sharp sand. Yes, you can get a bloom in year one but it would be a bit of a flimsy specimen. Still, it's always nice to see a flower and as there isn't much benefit to faffing about with the 'architecture', I usually just follow the demands of the plant, re tying in, nipping out.

They are really very forgiving, Marie. Unlike say, daphne, chrysanths are definitely at the easy-going end of the plant behavioural spectrum.