When is a plant TOO dead to revive? (Mums)
 

Last night I found a dozen HUGE mum plants in pots, bagged and waiting for
the garbage man to come pick them up. Some of them look very brown and dead
but a few of them still show signs of greenery (although not *much*). I
was wondering if I should take a chance and replant them all in my garden
and hope for a spring revival? Is it possible that even the ones that look
very brown might come back with the new season or is that just wishful
thinking?

BTW, whoever threw these out, threw them out in decorative pots, too. I
wish I could meet these people BEFORE they actually toss the plants. I love
getting free garden plants. :)

Giselle

"Volfie" wrote in message
...
Last night I found a dozen HUGE mum plants in pots, bagged and waiting for
the garbage man to come pick them up. Some of them look very brown and
dead
but a few of them still show signs of greenery (although not *much*). I
was wondering if I should take a chance and replant them all in my garden
and hope for a spring revival? Is it possible that even the ones that
look
very brown might come back with the new season or is that just wishful
thinking?

BTW, whoever threw these out, threw them out in decorative pots, too. I
wish I could meet these people BEFORE they actually toss the plants. I
love
getting free garden plants. :)

Giselle



You can take their pulse, but you have to do it with your ear lobe, and that
can be tricky. I'd just plant them and see what happens in the spring.
They're pretty amazing plants. Who knows?

Volfie wrote:
Last night I found a dozen HUGE mum plants in pots, bagged and waiting for
the garbage man to come pick them up. Some of them look very brown and dead
but a few of them still show signs of greenery (although not *much*). I
was wondering if I should take a chance and replant them all in my garden
and hope for a spring revival? Is it possible that even the ones that look
very brown might come back with the new season or is that just wishful
thinking?

BTW, whoever threw these out, threw them out in decorative pots, too. I
wish I could meet these people BEFORE they actually toss the plants. I love
getting free garden plants. :)

Giselle



So it doesn't take much work to plant them and maybe mulch them and wait
to see what happens. At the very least you have some new decorative pots.

(from another scrounger...)

"dps" wrote in message
...
Volfie wrote:
Last night I found a dozen HUGE mum plants in pots, bagged and waiting
for
the garbage man to come pick them up. Some of them look very brown and
dead
but a few of them still show signs of greenery (although not *much*).
I
was wondering if I should take a chance and replant them all in my
garden
and hope for a spring revival? Is it possible that even the ones that
look
very brown might come back with the new season or is that just wishful
thinking?

BTW, whoever threw these out, threw them out in decorative pots, too. I
wish I could meet these people BEFORE they actually toss the plants. I
love
getting free garden plants. :)

Giselle



So it doesn't take much work to plant them and maybe mulch them and wait
to see what happens. At the very least you have some new decorative pots.

(from another scrounger...)

Oh, I know it's worth planting them but if the general consensus was that
some might be too dead to revive, I was going to plant those in a less
conspicuous area and not in the middle of my garden. :)

Do you think I should cut them back to 1 or 2" or should I leave them with
the full stems now and cut them back in early spring rather than put them
through another shock?

Giselle (who travels around with a tarp and shovel in her trunk for
scrounging :))

"Volfie" wrote in message
...

"dps" wrote in message
...
Volfie wrote:
Last night I found a dozen HUGE mum plants in pots, bagged and waiting
for
the garbage man to come pick them up. Some of them look very brown
and
dead
but a few of them still show signs of greenery (although not *much*).
I
was wondering if I should take a chance and replant them all in my
garden
and hope for a spring revival? Is it possible that even the ones that
look
very brown might come back with the new season or is that just wishful
thinking?

BTW, whoever threw these out, threw them out in decorative pots, too.
I
wish I could meet these people BEFORE they actually toss the plants.
I
love
getting free garden plants. :)

Giselle



So it doesn't take much work to plant them and maybe mulch them and wait
to see what happens. At the very least you have some new decorative
pots.

(from another scrounger...)

Oh, I know it's worth planting them but if the general consensus was that
some might be too dead to revive, I was going to plant those in a less
conspicuous area and not in the middle of my garden. :)

Do you think I should cut them back to 1 or 2" or should I leave them with
the full stems now and cut them back in early spring rather than put them
through another shock?

Cut them back now. In the spring, when you've got some healthy growth, get
some rooting powder, take cuttings, and make more plants. Then begin
pinching back the existing growth to make them bushier. That's what
greenhouses do with a lot of the potted mums you buy in late summer & early
fall. Just make sure you stop pinching around early July (if I recall
correctly). The plant needs time to start making flower buds.

all you have to do is look at the roots. Are they all brown and nasty? or are
they nice and white?

Toad

"Marley1372" wrote in message
...
all you have to do is look at the roots. Are they all brown and nasty? or
are
they nice and white?

Toad

They look sort of half/half on the one pot I looked at but that brings up
another interesting question: each pot has THREE plants in it, apparently.
I guess that's why they look so huge and full. Should I replant them
together (and therefore not stress them more) or seperate them now?

Is there any possibility that these plants would live in the pots over the
winter somewhere in my house (heated) or barn (not)?

Giselle (in Indiana so it will be COLD)