Mum Propagation + Planting @ Mill Creek!  

We've been busy getting our mums ready for the fall season since mid-May.  There are a lot of steps that go into getting mums ready by fall + here's a behind the scenes tour!

All of our mums are grown from unrooted cuttings.  We use a growing medium that is uniformly level in each cell of the propagation tray.  The trays are watered at just the right moisture level.  Each cutting is dipped in a root hormone before planting at a precise depth in the soil.  

The mums are cared for with their specific requirements for heat, light, and water in our propagation house.  New cuttings are misted every half hour for the first 3 days until they have grown large enough roots. The new cuttings are covered with frost cloth to keep humidity inside and to protect them from getting sunburnt.   This is such a tender stage. 

Once the mum plugs have grown to a certain height, we give them a trim to make sure all plants are uniform in height.  This ensures that they all grow evenly and branch out nicely. 

The mums are cared for with their specific requirements for heat, light, and water in our propagation house.  New cuttings are misted every half hour for the first 3 days until they have grown large enough roots. The new cuttings are covered with frost cloth to keep humidity inside and to protect them from getting sunburnt.   This is such a tender stage. 

Once the mum plugs have grown to a certain height, we give them a trim to make sure all plants are uniform in height.  This ensures that they all grow evenly and branch out nicely. 

From then on, the mums are watered via micro-irrigation.  Micro-irrigation is an effective watering technique because it slowly drips water out directly into the pot, preventing excess water and nutrient waste.  

This is our 8th season of growing fall mums + we've certainly learned a lot over the years!  We're proud to grow 16,000+ mums in Marshfield's backyard! 

Stay tuned to see how our mums progress!