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Old 19-08-2005, 01:37 AM
paghat
 
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In article , "Happy Moose"
wrote:

I do not believe deadheading has any effect on providing more energy for the
plant to bloom. If you want performance out of the plant then feed it
properly in spring and water it well. Also, plant it is the sun and a good
soil blend. I intentionally try set seed pods on the daylilies and have not
observed decreased growth of my plants. With good cultural practices in
place the daylily will perform well and will not be stressed in the
slightest because of some spent blooms.

BTW, I do deadhead the daylilies everyday so that I do not have to look at
the spent blooms. I cut them off high enough so that the pod will mature.

Bobby
Happy Moose Gardens
http://happymoosegardens.com


Possibly a sterile triploid would shopw no difference whether or not
deadheaded, though producing sterile pods probably expends some energy
too. A fully fertile variety definitely will put more energy into its
blooms for a lengthened bloom season, & in its roots thereafter for a
bigger clump with more blooms the following year. Some varieties rebloom
later in the year & will be more inclined to do so if they don't go to
seed the first time, as from the plant's point of view it's "done for the
year" if it already produced seeds. The best way to test this would be to
compare habits of rebloomers & assess the vigorousness of the second
bloom.

It does take a great deal of energy to bring fertile pods to ripeness &
that's energy that could go to the root system. But daylilies tend to be
so vigorous in any case, with the wilder almost invasive, so it might only
be a difference between extremely vigorous & extra-extremely vigorous for
the non-rebloomers, & it might even be a good thing to let them seed so as
to slow them down or they'll need division every bloody year.

-paghat the ratgirl
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