If you are growing your mums in a greenhouse or indoors, you can deadhead them as soon as you see dead growths since the mums won’t be exposed to cold weather.
If you are growing your mum indoors or in a greenhouse, this method is probably best for you since you can continuously deadhead throughout the year and don’t have to worry about exposing your mum to cold temperatures.
You may feel nervous about cutting off so much of the plant. However, if your mum is a perennial plant that went through a winter season, it’s necessary not only to cut off the flower but also the dead stems. Make sure that if you are doing a major deadheading that you do it during spring or early summer. This will give the new growths of the plant time to grow fully before blooming season in the fall.
Pinching is not strictly necessary but is a good addition to your deadheading routine, as it can make your plant fuller and healthier while keeping the shape of the plant compact and bushy.
Also look for any tips that look dead or browned.
Pinching not only shortens the height of a tall plant, it also allows encourages rapid growth of leaves and blooms right below the pinched off area.
Look up your type of mum to see whether it is an early or a late cultivator.
