Pinching Benefits

• Pinching removes a portion of each stem on the young mum plant. The stem branches at the point it's pinched at, forming two additional lateral stems instead of the single vertical stem it had previously. Each new stem formed from pinching produces its own leaves and flower buds, resulting in a fuller plant. Pinching mums also prevents the plant from producing the long, leggy stems that make the plant appear overgrown. A pinched mum has fuller foliage, is more compact and produces more blooms than a plant that is not pinched.
  
  

Timing and Method

• Chrysanthemums require pinching for best shape from the time they reach 4 inches tall until midsummer. Continuing to pinch the plant after late June removes the flower buds and prevents the plant from blooming in fall. Remove the top one to two sets of leaves on each stem, pinching the stem off 1/4 inch above a leaf set. Failure to pinch directly above a leaf results in a long, bare stem that doesn't branch. Pinching the plants every three weeks during the initial growth period produces the fullest plants.
  
  

Spring Pruning

• Perennial mums typically grow in garden beds, but sometimes gardeners grow them as potted plants. These mum varieties are hardy enough to tolerate some winter freezing so they return each year with new growth in spring. Cutting back the plant in fall after it dies back weakens the plant, as the dead stems help protect the crown of the mum from winter cold. The best time to prune is early spring when the first new stems begin pushing through the soil. Cut out all the old, dead stems at their base. New green growth quickly grows in to replace it.
  
  

Deadheading

• As the flowers on the mum wilt and fall off, the plant begins producing seeds. Seed production requires a lot of energy from the mum, weakening the plant and preventing further flowering. Deadheading stops seed production and saves the mum's energy. Deadheading also improves the appearance of your mum since the brown, dead flowers aren't detracting from it. Cut off the old flower heads once they begin to wilt by trimming the flowering stem back to the topmost set of leaves on the stem.