Marigolds Deadheading – When And How Should You Do It?

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Bright yellow marigold flowers with dense green foliage, some blooms in the process of fading, ready for deadheading.

It is common knowledge that gardeners work hard to ensure proper flower growing season and blossoming. But how much do they put into managing and caring for their flowers after blossoming?

After completing their flowering cycle, flowers tend to channel all energy towards the production of seed, forgoing the process of blossoming again.

At that time, the blossoms of the flowers start to fade; they lose their beauty and become unattractive. The setting of seeds is not of benefit to gardeners. This is because they are, most times, basically needed for sowing or replanting.

Flowers have a wide range of uses when they blossom.

They can be plucked and placed in vases or bouquets to be given out as gifts or placed in rooms and offices for beautification. They are also used in manufacturing perfumes because of their mesmerizing scents, herbs making, and even food making.

With all these benefits, no gardener would want to lose their flowers. The main problem for most gardeners is how to manage these beautiful creatures and make them bloom over and over again. The answer to this is deadheading.

Deadheading is practiced to make flowers re-bloom; however, this process differs for every flower.

In this article, we will discuss the deadheading of marigold flowers, the best time to deadhead marigolds, and how to go about it.

When Should You Deadhead Marigolds?

Deadheading is not just done at any time. It follows after certain signs are observed in plants. And if flowers are planted for seeds, gardeners should not practice deadheading as it hampers seed production. So, when should marigolds be deadheaded?

Marigolds are primarily grown by horticulturists as annual, although perennials are becoming known too. They exist in different colors, some of which are white and yellow, to mention a few.

Gardeners grow marigolds because no annual flower grows easier than them, and their ability to blossom brightly over the summer makes them popular.

Marigolds also have a pleasant aromatic smell, but some species exhibit a pungent smell, while some are known to be scentless. Marigolds with a pungent smell are used as security to protect other plants around them from pest attacks. This practice is generally referred to as companion planting.

They are also used in other ways, such as in making medicinal tea, feed coloring for poultry (when made into powder), and many more. Marigolds can thrive in any soil, but they grow best in fertile soil, which is highly drained, and under entirely sunny conditions.

Marigolds are often considered flowers that bloom from spring to summer, but the unpopular fact is that they perform extraordinarily late in the summer to fall.

After blooming, marigolds become very rough, losing their beauty touches, and tend to set seeds with re-blooming forgone. However, deadheading can help to put this action at bay and bring back the chance of re-blooming.

Deadheading aids the blossoming flowers through the energy initially meant for the seed set. It is essential to know when to deadhead marigolds to avoid mistakes or negative results.

Below are times you should deadhead marigolds.

1. When the blooms begin to fade

It’s not compulsory to deadhead a flower, but there is a whole lot of sense in doing so. Flowers are mainly meant to beautify, although they also serve different purposes. These purposes can be realized when these plants are well cared for and kept fresh.

Is it possible for a gardener who has witnessed blossoming to leave their flowers rough and unattractive? No. Even if your flower serves your compound, it’ll only be presentable and attractive with fresh and beautiful blooms.

Many gardeners want to engage in this even with the stress and extra work involved. They are convinced that keeping their flowers blossoming is incredibly beneficial, especially for annuals like marigolds.

The problem that may pose concerns is, do they understand the process of deadheading apart from knowing the benefits. Do they know the right time to do it and the conditions to be met? Probably, no.

Marigolds tend to become very bad in look, lose their colors and attractiveness, and become shit after flowering. And they are just annuals which means they are not characterized by constant re-blooming. Deadheading is needed to make the flowers keep coming and keep them afresh.

Deadheading of marigolds is to be commenced when the flowers lose their strength, fade, and wilt away. After complete blossoming, marigolds’ beautiful colors disperse, and an early sign of seeds set.

Stop at this point to favor re-blooming. Therefore, gardeners should monitor marigolds following the completion of blooming and immediately kick-start deadheading at the sight of the first faded bloom.

2. When fresh blooms are needed

Deadheading makes flowers look new and, in fact, more attractive than they were before. Flowers come back with voluminous and better flowers in different colors, making our garden beautiful and enticing.

No matter how stressful the process of deadheading may be, it is still worth it.

Marigolds become leggy after flowering and may produce poor and unhealthy flowers, but we can bring back fresh blooms by deadheading in the late or middle of summer. Gardeners must make sure marigolds are planted on well-drained but fertile soil.

If otherwise, you can add fertilizers to enhance their growth after new growth has been noticed. Marigolds also perform well under the sun; they Supply adequate water to moisten the soil.

Therefore, whenever you crave new blooms, deadhead appropriately. We can make our flowers blossom again, but meeting conditions is necessary for a positive result.

3. When it’s midsummer, late summer, or fall

Deadheading hampers flowers’ energy directed at the setting of seeds and channels it towards re-blooming. Making flowers blossom after the first bloom is very important to gardeners.

Flowers bloom at different times, and it is advisable to know when and under what conditions blossoming takes place for each of them. Through this, we can keep a tab on our flowers.

Marigolds’ deadheading is done during midsummer, late summer, or fall. At this time, they tend to blossom profusely and make beautiful flowers. Keep soil moist by watering, remove faded flowers at sight, and watch your flower bloom.

With the information above, gardeners can quickly know when to practice deadheading for fresh blooms. Remember to deadhead if fresh blooms are needed.

Start immediately with the first faded bloom seen, and ensure it is during midsummer, late, or fall.

Our Favorite Pruners For Marigolds

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How To Deadhead Marigolds?

Marigolds are usually planted as annuals, implying that they cannot blossom repeatedly. Deadheading prolongs their blooming season.

A garden looks attractive and organized when the plants bloom. However, gardeners will have to put in tremendous and relentless work to make plants blossom again.

Deadheading marigolds raise the volume of blooms and add to the beauty. The process of deadheading is very significant and must not be neglected.

These flowers serve plenty of uses. They beautify surroundings and can be used to restrict walkways in our homes, hotels, relaxation centers, and even on roadsides.

It’s not just enough to plant and water. It makes a lot of sense when we manage and maintain the beauty of our flowers.

You don’t want to experience how irritating a garden looks when the flowers are fading, and seeds are being produced. When flowers fade, the whole garden looks disorganized, and faded flowers begin to wilt and litter the ground.

You may say, “I would cut them down and plant another,” but thinking about it, does it make sense? Why not just make the flowers blossom again instead of cutting and starting again?

This is why deadheading is of paramount importance. It brings about more beautiful blooms over and over again.

It’s not an offense if you don’t know how to deadhead your marigold, don’t get tensed or confused. Everything concerning how to deadhead marigolds is provided below.

1. Eliminate spent flowers from the marigold plant

When the blooming cycle is completed, marigolds tend to grow seeds, but before this, their flowers start to fade and wilt away. Immediately these signs show deadhead the marigolds to ensure re-blooming.

The first thing to do is eliminate faded flowers. This will be a continuous process not to give the marigold any chance of producing seeds.

As we all know, plants can not survive without photosynthesis, a process by which they get their food from sunlight using carbon dioxide and water. Plants must be in good condition for the process to take place.

Marigolds with faded flowers don’t get adequate food from photosynthesis, and their nutrients don’t get well distributed. Hence, growth gets retarded, and blooming is hampered.

To avoid the earlier explained situation, faded flowers have to be eliminated. This can be done by the use of pruning shear and can also be done using hands to pinch off faded flowers.

2. Trimming to prevent seeds from setting

Gardeners trim flowers to get them back in shape and make them look organized in most cases, but you can also do this to prevent flowers from producing seeds and enhance re-blooming. Also, you can trim off leaves affected with diseases to avoid spreading all over the flower.

Marigolds are known for their bushy nature; they add beauty to garden beds with their color splashes.

They exist in different forms, including single and double petals, and colors range from yellow to dark orange and red. Trimming keeps the foliage of marigolds to their enticing shape, i.e., molded.

Begin your trimming by cutting back seedlings after they are about 6-8 in height, and you should do this before the flowers form buds.

Then, following the first bloom, cut off the faded flowers to avoid forming seeds. Cut behind the topmost set of petals at the base. Ensure you keep mature and overgrown marigolds in good shape.

3. Monitor and care for the marigolds

Monitoring and caring for flowers are generally critical. When marigolds are fully established, they can bloom more by pinching off the top part. They can also grow bushier by regular removal of dying and spent blossoms.

Watering should be done consistently, although the soil should dry between every watering.

Gardeners should note that marigolds need more water at times of high heat. Watering them over the top should be avoided. Over-watering is dangerous as it may lead to a fungal attack, i.e., powdery mildew. However, if this happens, the affected marigold should be sprayed with fungicide.

Furthermore, adding fertilizers to marigolds during development and growth is not ideal. This is because diets that are too rich in nitrogen encourage lush foliage instead of blooming. Marigolds also encounter a few problems due to pests, mites, and aphids attacking and harming them, but they can be controlled by spraying with insecticides.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s not just enough to own a garden. Maintaining and caring for our flowers matter a lot.

Flowers should not be left for dead after blossoming; we should make them more beautiful.

Since we’ve got an option, why not gather our strength, deadhead our flowers, and make them bloom again and again? Trust me; the result is worth it.

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