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What Is the Correct Way to Deadhead Petunias?
What Is the Correct Way to Deadhead Petunias?. Petunias are colorful annuals that will look unsightly without regular deadheading. Although most varieties of petunias will continue to bloom through the growing season, the branches will get long and leggy with sparse leaves and flowers. Consistent deadheading will encourage new growth at the buds...
Petunias are colorful annuals that will look unsightly without regular deadheading. Although most varieties of petunias will continue to bloom through the growing season, the branches will get long and leggy with sparse leaves and flowers. Consistent deadheading will encourage new growth at the buds near the site of the pruning, keeping your flower plant bushy and attractive.
Process
The process of deadheading is not just a matter of pulling off the wilted flower. Nature will eventually cause the flowers to wilt, die and drop off the plant. Deadheading is the process of pinching or cutting off the flower and the developing seed head below it, where it meets the stem. You can use your fingernails to pinch through the stem or a small pair of garden scissors.
Types
There are four basic types of the hundreds of varieties of petunias: the large-flowered grandiflora, the compact and smaller-flowered multiflora, the miniature petunia milliflora and the ground cover petunias. Two of these, the milliflora and the ground cover petunias, are self-cleaning and do not require the pinching.
Container/Garden Plants
Petunias grown in containers are especially prone to forming leggy branches without the deadheading cleanup. To keep these types of petunias looking fresh and vibrant, deadhead the flowers as soon as they wilt. Garden-grown petunias are usually more vibrant with the abundance of nutrients, but they also benefit from the deadheading.
Leggy Petunias
After you deadhead your container- or garden-grown petunias, check to see if the branches are reaching too far outside the planter and cut them back to half their length. If too many seed heads developed, the plants might think the growing season is over and not recover. Regular deadheading should keep petunias growing into the late summer.
