The Best Way To Deadhead Cosmos To Keep Blooms Coming All Fall Long

As one of the flowering plants you should deadhead, cosmos respond very well to the removal of spent flowers. Deadheading in the garden isn't about letting your plants listen to the Grateful Dead. Instead, it involves removing any spent, dead, or old growth from your cosmos. This technique allows the plant to redirect its energy towards the new growth, rather than wasting it on these weaker areas. Once you confirm that your flowers are healthy and just need a bit of deadheading for vibrant fall blooms, here's how to do it. Your efforts will reward you with a series of beautiful flowering blooms all fall long. 

Start by closely examining your plant for any hidden buds before you start snipping, as you'd hate to remove those and destroy future blooms. Once satisfied you aren't killing any buds, move to any spent flowers, pinching or cutting off these blooms following along the stem above them. Using a set of gardening or pruning shears lets you make a clean cut, but you can also pinch the flowers off if they're soft enough. Make sure you keep the cuts or pinches above the healthy leaf growth. Focus only on removing the dead or spent blooms, and keep leaves intact as a source of nutrition. You can deadhead your cosmos as needed to help grow beautiful blooms through the season. Regularly check your flowers to see if they require deadheading. After you finish, water your cosmos to boost their energy for flourishing new florals. 

Taking the time to give your cosmos a little extra attention and cleaning up means you can see blooms coming until the first frost arrives. Cosmos are rapid self-seeders, and deadheading may help reduce instances of self-sowing if needed as well. One common mistake to avoid when deadheading is using the same shears on multiple plants. This increases the risk you transfer disease or pests between your flowers, so always sanitize in between deadheading sessions to ensure the healthiest plants.

If your cosmos are stressed, they might not respond to deadheading, which is why you should pay attention to their environmental conditions. If you have plenty of green growth with lackluster blooms, it might be from too much fertilizer. Cosmos don't require a lot of soil nutrients and can do well in even poor soil in the right conditions. Too little sunlight can also make a difference with your flowers' blooms, as they require six to eight hours daily.