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Common Mistakes Everyone Makes When Deadheading Flowers
By JENNY LYNCH
Too Far Down
When deadheading, you should only cut about ¼ inch above the leaf node. Cutting farther down the stem can result in unintentional damage, such as removing new growth.
Deadhead All At Once
Deadheading should be performed on a rolling basis throughout the season. Going all out and deadheading every bloom can force it
into a state of shock.
If a plant is already stressed due to other issues, make sure you're letting them come back to life before deadheading, as the recovery process can add to the stress.
Not Saving Seeds
Seed saving is great, as you can also choose seeds from your healthiest and most attractive flowers, allowing you to reproduce a better flower patch the next year.
No Seed Heads
Collect ornamental seed pods and heads to use for arts and crafts. Globe thistles offer cute blue pompoms, and the spiked heads of sea holly turn to shimmery silver.
Wrong Plants
Deadheading works for most flower species, but not all. Some perennials depend
on self-seeding, such as foxgloves, hollyhocks, cardinal flowers, and forget-me-nots.
Naturally prolific bloomers like cosmos and geraniums or self-cleaning plants like begonias to petunias also don't need to be deadheaded.