Daisy Mum

Question

I bought a daisy mum from our local greenhouse. We are in central Iowa. They told me it is a house plant. It looks beautiful right now. How do I care for it as a house plant to keep it looking great?

Answer 1

Unless a miraculous new chrysanthemum has cleverly been snuck into the industry, mums are not houseplants. Florist mums may be used as a blooming plant indoors for 2-4 weeks. Garden mums may be used the same way. To keep any mum at it’s peak, one should keep the plant evenly moist and in a brightly lit location. Cooler temperatures will keep the blooms prettier for a longer time than warmer temperatures. Once a mum has set buds, there is no need to fertilize.

Answer 2

I believe Mums and Avids go hand in hand therefore its not a houseplant.

Answer 3

To be charitable to the salesman, perhaps he meant houseplant in the sense that since it was in a pot, you could set it in the house while it blooms. Kind of a long-life flower bouquet, which of course you can enjoy that way. When the flowers are spent, you can try planting it outside, you might get some more blooms. While mums can have aphids (not avids, kreg), it is not a given. Some other insects for which you need to watch would be white fly, thrip, even mealy bug.
Enjoy the flowers while you may, but get a real houseplant if you want a houseplant.