Helpful Pruning Tips To Get The Most Blooms Out Of Your Zinnias
Striking, colorful, and vibrant, zinnias are among the best flowers for attracting butterflies and other pollinators. While these annual flowers are naturally inclined to bloom, a few tips will ensure they continue to do so throughout the season. Deadheading, pruning, or cutting spent flower heads can give zinnias the boost they need to blossom all summer.
While cutting off flowers may seem strange, it's rooted in horticultural practice that helps create more blooms on your plant. Because zinnias only survive one year, after they flower, they will create seeds. Removing spent flower heads after they finish blooming diverts the plant's resources toward producing more flowers rather than producing seeds. This redirects nutrients and energy to stimulate the development of new buds, resulting in the reblooming of flowers. By deadheading, you disrupt the process of reproducing and dying after flowering. This helps create a lush and lively sea of flowers in your garden all through summer.
Why should you prune zinnias?
Zinnias thrive with adequate airflow and don't like to be overcrowded. By removing blooms and excess foliage, you create more space between the plants, allowing air to circulate more freely. When flowers are too close together, they contribute to the buildup of stagnant air. Dense foliage and packed flowerheads can cause powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. More airflow lessens the chance of fungal disease, resulting in healthier, more vigorous plants.
The more you prune and deadhead zinnias, the more they grow. Each time you remove old blooms and trim back foliage, you redirect the plant's energy into new flowers and growth. While there's no harm in forgoing deadheading or pruning altogether, it may lead to a decline in flowering and a shorter growing season. Without regular pruning, your zinnias may also become leggy and more prone to disease, especially in wet conditions with poor airflow.
How do you cut zinnias to keep them blooming?
Pruning at the right time is crucial to keeping zinnias blooming. Use disinfected, sharp pruning shears to deadhead your flowers right after the first blooms turn brown or begin to look dull. Felco pruning shears are available at Home Depot for $67. Despite the heavy price tag, the lightweight, corrosion-resistant, award-winning pruning shears are perfect for getting the job done right.
When deadheading zinnias, you want to cut the stem above a set of leaves to the nearest flower bud or just cut down to the first set of healthy leaves. You also want to continue to deadhead your flowers throughout the summer. By removing spent blooms every few days, you'll encourage new blooms during the entire growing season. Regular deadheading also promotes bushier growth patterns by stimulating lateral branching, increasing light, improving structure, and stimulating growth on lower portions of the plant. This results in a denser and fuller plant. Deadhead your dull blooms and get the most out of your zinnias to keep them blooming throughout summer.