A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Asters

I know that mums have to be pinched back when they come back in the spring. I keep pinching them until about the middle of July and they do fine. Do you have to do the same thing to hardy asters? I have never done asters before and they are so pretty I want to make sure I don't kill them by doing the wrong thing in the spring.

If you want your asters to be bushy and flower more, then yes you should pinch them back. There are some cultivars that will get quite tall if you leave them be, which can look nice in the middle or back of the border.

You have to pinch back mums? I've never touched mine and they are like 3 or more feet tall and just starting to bloom. What do you mean by pinch them back? Cut them down in the spring? I have 6 asters this year, so I'm interested too on how to care for them.

When you pinch them back in the spring and early summer, they bet bushy and full. Mine are beginning to bloom now. They are bushy with lots of buds. You don't cut them all the way down, just pinch the tops so they are forced to put energy into producing more plant. I stop pinching in the middle of July so the buds will begin to form. I too am addicted to plants etc. I have to tell myself to "walk away from the bulbs." Last year I picked up a bag here and a bag there and before you know I had over 150 bulbs to plant! I was kicking myself, until spring came and the bulbs came up and bloomed.

Patty, another purpose for pinching back Mums is to prevent early blooms. They will start setting buds late spring, early summer and you are faced with letting them bloom on or pinching them back about once a month for a couple of months to allow them to bloom in the fall. Some Mum cultivars get so large and floppy, it's best to keep them pinched back early in their season to insure they are bushier and less gangly. (Is that a word? )

I've always pinched my mums back until about July 15th to make them fuller and bushier. This is the first time I've ever asters, and fortunately, the people at the nursery told me to pinch them back the same way and for the same reason you do it to mums! However, on one of them, I think perhaps I should have pinched it back a little more. Well, I'll know better next year!

I'm lost.

I haven't pinched my mums - ever, but they are rather large, and my asters - which are new this year, I didn't pinch them either and they are just starting to bloom and are very pretty. Should I pinch them back next spring and see if they look any different - even though I really like them and they look like they are suppose to now?

Rosie, I agree with you about the large and floppy mums, Besides, I've always lived by the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Geesh, if you like what you have why change it. I don't think you're doing them any harm by letting them grow the way you like them.

PattyM, you may never have to pinch back your Mums and Asters to prevent early blooming because your gardening zone is cooler and your bloom season shorter than ours. Some of the newer Mum cultivars are just naturally bred to be nice and full without the pinching. It all depends on the type and your zone. Now, have I managed to confuse your further? If so, I consider my work done for the day.