Keep petunias blooming all summer long with this simple pruning technique.
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Petunias have long captured gardeners hearts with their stunning colors and bold blooms.
Get the most out of these belovedannualsby learning how todeadheadpetunias to promote new growth and continuous flowering.
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Taking the time to deadhead petunias will keep your plants blooming all summer long.
Watch your petunias and deadhead plants as soon as the blooms start to fade.
Spent blooms are easy to identify, they shrivel up, go limp, and begin to turn brown.
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Removing spent blooms will prevent plants from shifting their energy into seed production.
Although plants will eventually drop spent flowers on their own, the ovary does not fall off.
Remember, plants produce flowers as a means of reproduction.
When we remove flowers and developing seeds through deadheading, the plant essentially tries again by producing more flowers.
In a way, deadheading is used to trick plants into blooming again and again.
Some self-cleaning varieties may also put on a larger flush of flowers with deadheading.
This will ensure that you remove the developing seed.
To accomplish this, pinch, dont pull.
Use your thumb and forefinger to cut the stalk of individual flowers back to the main stem.
If you simply pull the flowers off, you are likely to leave the ovary behind intact.
Petunias tend to be sticky.
Mini flower snips work well for this throw in of pruning.
Some gardeners like to use a thumb knife and protective finger sleeve for deadheading.
There are times when you may wish to cut back the entire stem rather than remove individual flowers.
Cut each stem back to a side branch or bud.
This will produce a denser plant and promote blooming.
This results in less work each time you visit plants but is not practical for everyone.
For busy gardeners, deadheading plants at least once per week is enough to encourage continuous flowering.
A good schedule for most gardeners is deadheading two to three times per week.
Frequently Asked Questions
When deadheaded regularly, petunias will bloom continuously from spring until frost.
Spent blooms are easy to identify.
Deadhead flowers when they begin to lose color.
The main goal of deadheading is to remove blooms before they begin developing seed.
This keeps plants focused on flowering instead of ripening seeds.
Most petunia varieties will decrease flower production if they are not deadheaded regularly.
This is because the plants shift energy into developing seeds rather than producing flowers.
However, they can still benefit from regular pruning.
