On 6/4/2009 5:06 AM, Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:
In message , David E.
Ross writes
On 6/2/2009 4:45 PM, Connecticut wrote:
When removing blossoms to aid plant growth, is it O.K. to cut them off
or should they be plicked off by hand?
In general, just cut them off. For low-growing plants with many flowers
(e.g., cottage pinks, candytuft), you can even use grass shears.

I know of only one plant in my garden -- Alstroemeria -- for which the
recommendation is not to cut but to pull. When a shoot is through
blooming, I give it a steady pull (not a sudden tug) and pull the entire
shoot out of the ground. Sunset recommends this as something that will
promote the growth of new flowering shoots. I experimented with cutting
the top off the shoot. The shoot did not grow any side shoots and
eventually yellowed and withered. I did indeed get more flowers when I
pulled out the old shoots.

Rhododendron is another plant for which deadheading by cutting may be
disrecommended. In this case the problem is that you can't cut off the
flower heads without taking out the new buds.

Azaleas are a form of rhododendron. I cut the spent flowers off my
azaleas along with the terminal growth buds. The branches send out new
shoots from dormant buds where leaves are (or were). This makes the
plants more bushy.

I'm not familiar with the care of non-azalea rhododendrons. They don't
grow well in my climate.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary