As far as satisfying gardening experiences go, I think I’ve got my top three favorites settled: biting into the first jalapeno of the season, watching my heuchera really wake up and shine in the early summer, and deadheading marigolds.
I can’t say there’s a more satisfying chore than deadheading these annuals. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it produces almost immediate results.
Even though it’s such a rewarding task, there are many folks who aren’t familiar with the practice at all or who have never plucked a spent bloom from a marigold plant. Without further ado, let’s get into how to take care of these carefree and glowing annuals.
Do I Really Need to Deadhead Marigolds?
Got marigolds? Wondering if you need to deadhead them? Here’s the scoop:
In short, you don’t have to deadhead marigolds. They’ll keep blooming until the first frost without any extra work from you. However, should you deadhead them? Well, that’s where things get interesting.
Most folks say yes, absolutely! Why? Because marigolds don’t love fertilizers—they get leggy and flop over. Deadheading is the easiest way to ensure strong, consistent blooms. When you remove the spent blooms, you encourage more buds and a healthier, bushier plant. It’s like giving your marigolds a little pep talk!
On the flip side, if you skip deadheading, your marigolds will still thrive. They’ll just look a bit leggier, and you might not get as many blooms. Plus, you’ll have volunteer marigolds popping up next season from the flowers that went to seed.
So, deadhead for a tidier, bloom-heavy garden, or let nature take its course and enjoy the surprise marigolds next year. Either way, you’re golden!
Quick Recap
- Deadheading: Ensures tight, bushy plants with consistent blooms. Results in a tidier garden and nonstop blooms for minimal daily maintenance.
- Not Deadheading: Yields wispier plants that still have flowers, suitable for less formal gardens. Results in random volunteer marigolds the next season.
Both options are perfectly fine; it’s your garden, you do you!
When to Deadhead Marigolds
Deadheading isn’t a one-and-done job but an ongoing process that lasts as long as the plant is in bloom.
Begin when you see the first flower begin to fade and keep at it until the plant is no longer producing new blooms. As each flower may start fading at a different rate, daily checks will result in more efficient deadheading.
While it’s often common practice to deadhead a flower as soon as it begins to fade or get a brownish tinge, you can also choose to leave it until it starts wilting with similar results. In the end, it’s a matter of personal preference as to when or how often you deadhead.
When Not to Deadhead
The only reason not to deadhead marigolds is if you wish to save the seeds from your marigolds or want to allow marigolds to self-seed for a low-maintenance planting scheme.
Where you’d like the plants to produce seeds, you should leave at least some of the flowering heads to develop.
Saving seeds from your marigolds is easy and a good idea since marigolds are tender annuals and will die when autumn frosts arrive. Collect seeds on a dry day when the seed head has fully turned a light shade of brown.
How to Deadhead Marigolds
If you decide to deadhead marigolds, the process itself is very easy.
Simply take a sharp pair of scissors or secateurs and cut off the dead flower head at the base of its individual stem. Sharp tools are a must for deadheading; blunt tools can crush rather than cut growth, which can do more harm than good.
Remember, you don’t need to worry about getting every single one, and this job is not an absolute must.
“For plants which are becoming spindly, you can cut back a little harder by up to half their height to achieve the desired look,” says Peter Lickorish, a Horticultural Consultant. Make sure you don’t cut below the lowest few leaves. This will also delay the next blooms a little.
But doing some deadheading, especially earlier in the season, will help keep these plants in bloom over a longer period – looking good and attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using blunt tools: Always use sharp scissors or pruners to prevent damaging the plant.
- Cutting too low: Don’t cut below the lowest few leaves to avoid delaying the next bloom.
- Ignoring the fading blooms: Regularly check and remove spent blooms for continuous flowering.
- Neglecting consistent care: Like any gardening task, consistency is key to healthy, blooming marigolds.
Post-Deadheading Care
After deadheading, ensure your marigolds get the proper nutrients and care for optimal growth and health.
When fertilizing marigolds, select a liquid fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium. These two nutrients drive bud and bloom production. By feeding them a liquid fertilizer, the plant can absorb the nutrients quickly through both the soil and its foliage.
Look for a fertilizer designed for blooming, usually with double to triple the amount of phosphorus and potassium compared to nitrogen. I recommend feeding your plants every seven to ten days, diluting the recommended dosage by one-half.
Although marigolds are fairly hardy and drought tolerant, water is still important, especially for blooming. Make sure your plants get around one inch of rainfall or hand watering weekly.
How Often Should I Deadhead?
You can safely deadhead marigolds whenever you feel like it. Any time of the day or season is as good as another. My personal favorite time is in the morning, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a collection of marigold buds in the other.
You could deadhead daily, but I suggest every few days. This enables your flowers to bloom and gives pollinators a chance to take advantage of the flowers.
Collecting Seeds from Marigolds
If you want to collect seeds from your marigolds, wait until the flower heads have become crispy and dry. It takes a couple of days after they start fading to find that sweet spot.
My tried-and-true method for testing the flowers is to gently squish the flower head between my fingers. If it crinkles and then springs back to its normal shape, the seeds are perfect for plucking.
Keep an envelope handy. Remove the flower heads exactly as described above. With the crispy flowers in hand, pull the finished flower petals loose and drop them into the envelope. Each petal will be attached to a marigold seed. Store the seeds somewhere dry and cool over the winter, and plant them outside after the last frost in spring.
