Deadheading

A couple weeks ago during Bob's LIVE, our weekly show on Tuesdays at 5pm, we had this comment from YouTube:

That sounds like a great idea so here we go!

Of course, when most people hear the word "Deadhead" your mind tends to go to fans of the Grateful Dead.  This obviously gives me the opportunity to poke fun at deadheads and work in as many Grateful Dead song titles as possible.  However, that might be a little Hard to Handle.  Scarlet Begonias don't require deadheading, and, unsurprisingly, it has already been done by other garden writers.  Let's just cut to the chase.

Deadheading a plant removes the blooms as they start to fade.  Physiologically, fading blooms happen because the flower has been pollenated and now the plant is going to put all of its energy into growing seed.  Deadheading basically mimics a plant predator, like a deer, munching off the forming seed pod or fruit.  That makes the plant go "Oh dang!  I need to make more seeds!" and then it grows new blooms.

The process of deadheading flowers is very simple. As the blooms begin to fade, pinch or cut off the flower stem below the spent flower and just above the first set of full, healthy leaves. Repeat with all the dead or fading flowers on the plant.

Sometimes it may be easier to deadhead plants by shearing them back entirely. Shear away the top few inches of the plant, enough to remove the spent blossoms. Always check plants carefully to ensure that no flower buds are hiding amid the faded blooms before you shear the top of the plant. If you happen to find any new buds, cut the stem just above them.

Most annuals are "self-cleaning" meaning that the spent blooms drop off or new growth overtakes the fading blooms to hide them.  Impatiens, calibrachoa, and lantana are some popular self-cleaning varieties that are very low maintenance.  Then there are some plants that can benefit from a sort of preemptive deadheading.  For example, coleus will bloom if left to grow with no intervention.  However, you can trigger more branching and get a bushier plant by snipping off the buds before they bloom.

Likewise, you might want to let some flowers fade and go to seed if you want to then collect the seed.  There are many heirloom varieties of flowers that get passed along through families.  Some varieties that I collect seed to resow are cosmos, zinnia, morning glory, and buckwheat.  There are also some plants like foxglove that will reseed the area where they are planted.

To deadhead or not deadhead is a question that ultimately you'll have to do a bit of research on given your particular mix of plants.  I could add a massive list of annuals, perennials, bushes, and houseplants below, but it wouldn't be anywhere near comprehensive.

Coincidentally, deadheading might be partially responsible for the idiom "Green Thumb".  I can attest to the fact that pinching off spent blooms, like marigolds, between your thumb and forefinger will result in a green thumb.  Head out to the garden and, as John Marra would say, "Keep your green thumb growing!"