How to Pinch and Deadhead to Help Flowers

Pinching. Deadheading. Sounds like a cruel thing to do to plants when in reality, they are good gardening practices. Pinching and deadheading are a form of pruning, which will make the flower and herb beds look neat while keeping the plants healthy and producing properly. Some people think that pinching and deadheading are synonyms, but they’re not. They both refer to removing part of a plant, but their timing is different. Pinching comes before the plant blooms, in order to control the shape of the plant, remove developing seedpods or buds from herbs. Deadheading happens after blooming. Deadheading removes spent flowers and developing seedpods. This causes the plant to stop expending its energy on the old blooms and redirect nutrients to new growth.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Gardening gloves
• Basket or bucket
• Household glue

Instructions

1. Check your flower and herb beds every day or every other day during the growing season. Make a habit of carrying a basket or bucket, a pair of pruning shears and gardening gloves with you. Regular inspection to determine what plants needs pinching or deadheading will keep your beds looking neat and promote healthier plants and flowers.

2. Pinch off the top leaves on a plant or flower down to the next leaf set to encourage branching. To promote bushy growth, pinch the side branches as well. Some flowers, like petunias, need to be pinched to keep them from becoming too leggy, unless you are growing them in a hanging basket. Pinching chrysanthemums will keep the flower from blooming too early. Keep pinching off the flower’s buds until mid-summer for fall blooming.

3. Pinch back herbs including basil, rosemary, oregano, mint and tarragon to help retain their flavor. When an herb is allowed to flower, it removes the plants oils from the leaves, which changes their flavor. Flowering also causes the leaves of some herbs to grow tougher.

4. Pinch some of the flower’s buds to develop larger floral displays. Also known as disbudding, this is practiced on many roses and other flowers that bloom in clusters. By pinching back one or more of the center blossoms, you allow the remaining flowers to grow larger. Be sure to wear gardening gloves when pinching roses to protect your hands from the thorns.

5. Deadhead annuals to encourage continued blooming throughout the season. Remove the faded bloom and stem of the plant. If you cannot pinch these easily with your fingers, use a pair of pruning shears. Either way, make a clean cut; this not only makes the plant look better, it helps prevents infestation and disease. If you are unsure about what portion of the flower to deadhead, a general rule of thumb is to cut the flower stems down to the crown of the plant.

6. Deadhead daylilies in one of two ways. Use pruning shears or fingers to remove the spent flower every day. The second way is to wait until all the buds on the stalk have bloomed and faded and then use pruning shears to cut off the entire stalk.

7. Deadhead faded rose blossoms to keep the plant healthy. Look down the stem of the faded blossom for small red buds or leaves. That is the sign of new growth. Using pruning shears, cut ¼ inch above the new growth, angling the cut away from the center of the plant. This not only shapes the plant, but allows for air flow within the rose bush, discouraging fungi. If the cut left a large wound on the plant, spread a drop of household glue over it to seal the edges and discourage pests.

Tips & Warnings

• There are a few flowers--such as astilbe--that do not need deadheading or pinching. Some people grow sunflowers specifically for their seeds. Others flowers can be cut way down in the middle of the season so they they bloom again later. Check with local nurseries to learn about your plants’ requirements.

• Do not deadhead flowers such as cleome, foxglove or hollyhock if you want them to self-seed. Do not deadhead if you want to save the seeds of flowers like marigolds for next year's planting. To save seeds for the next season, remove the faded flower and allow it to dry. Crumble the dried blossoms into envelopes, label them and store in a cool dry place.

• Toss pinched leaves and deadheaded blossoms and seedpods into a compost pile, except those from roses.

• Make a note of what plants responded to pinching and deadheading for reference next year.