The Secret Technique Professional Growers Use to Get THESE GIANT Chrysanthemum Blooms

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The Secret Technique Professional Growers Use to Get THESE GIANT Chrysanthemum Blooms

If you’ve ever wondered how professional growers produce massive, show-stopping chrysanthemum flowers—those dinner-plate-sized blooms that look almost unreal—the secret is not luck. It’s a precise growing method that focuses on timing, nutrient control, and strategic pruning.
The good news? You can grow giant chrysanthemums at home too, even in pots.

Here’s the exact technique experts use to transform ordinary mums into spectacular oversized blooms.

1. Start With the Right Variety

Not all chrysanthemums are capable of producing huge flowers. Professionals choose large-flowering cultivars such as:

  • Spider mums
  • Football mums
  • Disbud chrysanthemums
  • Incurve or reflex varieties

These varieties naturally produce the long, elegant petals seen in competition-grade blooms.

2. The Disbudding Technique (The #1 Secret)

This is the most important step—and the reason commercial growers get enormous flowers.

How Disbudding Works:

  • Allow many buds to form on each stem.
  • Select the biggest, strongest central bud at the top of the stem.
  • Pinch off all the side buds around it.

This forces the plant to send all its energy into one single bloom, which becomes massive—often 2–3 times bigger than normal.

This method is used in professional floriculture and drastically improves flower size, petal density, and bloom symmetry.

3. Provide Strong, Consistent Support

Giant chrysanthemum blooms are heavy.
Growers use:

  • Bamboo stakes
  • Soft plant ties
  • Vertical growing frames

Supporting the stem ensures straight growth and prevents bending or breakage while the bloom enlarges.

4. Use a High-Quality, Well-Draining Soil Mix

To grow giant blooms, chrysanthemums need fast root development and strong nutrient absorption.

Use this soil mix:

  • 50% rich potting soil
  • 30% compost
  • 20% perlite or coarse sand

This improves: ✔ aeration
✔ drainage
✔ nutrient delivery
✔ overall plant vigor

5. Feed Regularly With a Bloom-Boosting Fertilizer

To maximize bloom size, professional growers switch fertilizers depending on the growth stage.

Early Growth (Spring – Early Summer)

Use a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to build strong stems and foliage.
Examples: 12-6-6, 15-5-10

Pre-Bloom Stage (Mid – Late Summer)

Switch to a phosphorus- and potassium-rich formula (Bloom Booster) such as:

  • 10-30-20
  • 5-10-30
  • Organic bone meal
  • Potassium sulfate

These nutrients enhance:

  • Flower size
  • Petal formation
  • Color vibrancy
  • Bud strength

This change is critical for professional-level results.

6. Pinch for Better Shape Before Disbudding

Before allowing the main bloom to grow, growers pinch the plant early in the season.

Pinching Timeline:

  • First pinch: when the plant reaches 6–8 inches
  • Second pinch: when stems reach 10–12 inches

The goal is to encourage more branching, which results in a stronger, fuller plant that supports giant blooms.

7. Provide Full Sun for Maximum Bloom Power

Chrysanthemums need 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Sun boosts:

  • Bloom size
  • Petal length
  • Color saturation
  • Stem strength

Plants grown in shade will produce small, weak flowers.

8. Maintain Even Moisture (Never Let It Dry Out!)

Large blooms require consistent hydration.
Keep the soil:

  • Moist
  • Never soggy
  • Never dry for long periods

Use deep watering to strengthen root development.

9. Remove Competing Growth During Bloom Season

To maintain giant size:

  • Remove new offshoots
  • Trim lower weak stems
  • Focus energy on the main bloom stems

This redirection increases flower diameter significantly.

10. Timing Is Everything

Professional growers plant and prune according to seasonal cycles.

Key moments:

  • Planting: Late winter – early spring
  • Pinching: Spring – early summer
  • Disbudding: Mid-summer
  • Blooming: Fall (peak size)

Following the timing ensures the flower develops during ideal weather conditions.

Final Result: Enormous, Exhibition-Style Chrysanthemums

By using this combination of techniques—especially disbudding, correct fertilization, and full sun—you can grow chrysanthemums with enormous, breathtaking blooms that rival those seen in professional flower shows.

Whether you’re growing them in the garden or in pots, these methods guarantee bigger, fuller, more dramatic flowers every season.

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