Grew these Chrysanthemum's from seeds. They have progressed pretty well over the last few months. It looks as though they are ready to flower but these buds have been sitting there for the last few weeks. They do not see to be getting any bigger or making any kind of changes. Is this normal? Will my Chrysanthemum's flower?
I am surprised you are growing 'mums in Barbados. I think the heat is a bit much. If you have had a dry spell, you need to water them. I see some browning on the leaf tips.
I tend to water them pretty often and I have started using an all purpose plant food once a week.
I checked the Plant Files (under the tab "Guides and Information)" and it shows that Chrysanthemums grow no further south than Charleston, S.C. or maybe Savannah, Georgia.
I use the plant files everytime I plan to buy something or I have a problem (most of the problems was my soil is so acid and it is low in phosphates).
Those areas are zone 8 or 9. I expect Barbados is as hot as southern Florida, Zone 10
Interesting...Chrysanthemums grow best and produce the most flowers if they are planted in full sunshine - that is what was stated so I figured they would be great plant to have considering we have plenty sun around here! I could try moving them into a more shaded spot and see what happens. i will not give up on them though...at least not yet :)
They do like full sun; it's a matter of how hot an area is. I can put marigolds in full sun here but they still will not do well, because I live in the Appalachian mountains and it is cool here. We rarely get over 80 degrees in the summer and often down into the 50s or high 40s every night.
I grow mums here in Texas, & it gets to 80 during the day. My mums like lots of water, and I mean lots. Then they bloom according to the time of year. So you have to wait until their time comes around.
Some plants, like rhododendrons, have buds for many months before they bloom.
It is unusally hot right now - over the weekend the temperature was about 31C which is about 88F so I guess they may be having a hard time.
During the week I water them in the morning when before I go to work about 7am and then again when I return home at 5:30pm. I soak them right through.
Maybe I am just a bit impatient with them I will wait and see what happens.
LazyD, I don't think you should be fertilizing them... especially as much as you have. Sometimes that can stunt growth.
It is close to being 100 degrees right now & mine are in dappled shade, as I don't want them scorched. That has worked out very well for them & they have not been fertilized yet...not that I will when it's this hot, but I may fertilize closer to the fall when they will bloom.
Chrysanthemum plants depend on the length of the day to initiate flowering. Days must be less than 14 hours long for the buds to form and less than 13 hours long for the flowers to open. The only way to get them to bloom in mid summer is to put them in a very dark place or cover with a heavy black cloth to limit the amount of daylight they receive. The exact day length requirements vary between cultivars but most require cool, short days to flower.
Meet my first flower - with several others on the way!!
Hurray for you! They finally opened. I'm in zone 8a and mine bloom both in the spring and in the fall. Beautiful bloom.
Good work! Patience paid off. I forgot to say earlier that mine seem to be in bud for weeks before they bloom.
Our mums bloom several times a year. They have already bloomed once and are putting on buds to bloom again. You are supposed to pinch off the buds until fall for biigger and a better bloom but that is to much like work. As for as temps go ours is hitting a 100 everyday. The old tall type mums that we use to have only bloomed in the fall.
I was under the impression that Chrysanthemums bloom in spring & fall (when it's cooler). If you planted them from seed their timing may be off. When mine start growing too much & look like they may try to have a summer bloom, I cut them (leave about 1 1/2 inches standing). Sometimes more than once depending on how fast they are growing. Wait for fall to let them bloom & give them the best chance.
Estimate their last "haircut" to be about 2 months?-guessing before your cool weather change begins.
Just remember, no blooms in hot weather.
Hope this helps!
