When removing blossoms to aid plant growth, is it O.K. to cut them off
or should they be plicked off by hand?

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.

--
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

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.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
...
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.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

You can cut off the old flower heads without taking out the new buds, but
you do have to be careful, and should use narrow-nose pruners, not regular
garden pruners.

In article ,
"Compostman" wrote:



You can cut off the old flower heads without taking out the new buds, but
you do have to be careful, and should use narrow-nose pruners, not regular
garden pruners.

I putter with bonsai style pruners.

Similar to these but no vinyl.

http://www.amazon.com/Corona-Clipper...0004R9YW/ref=s
r_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1244127089&sr=8-7

Bill

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

No foreign intervention unless tyranny at home.

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

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.

I do this with Japanese Anemones when they start to look ratty and go
to seed. They break off at the base of the rosette and the roots form
new rosettes at the break.
--

09=ix

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

How about the Vireya Rhodies? or is it too dry where you are?

--
09=IX
Prunedale California
Prunetuckey-By-The-Slough
Near Monterey Bay and Elkhorn Slough

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.

There are enough buds so that if you carefully cut at the base of the
flowers you will not hurt it.
But there is an abscission layer just above the buds that breaks cleanly
if you bend the stem just below the flowers if you don't want to risk
cutting
--

09=ix

On 6/5/2009 2:20 PM, Garrapata wrote:
I'm not familiar with the care of non-azalea rhododendrons. They don't
grow well in my climate.

How about the Vireya Rhodies? or is it too dry where you are?


Sunset says Vireyas are for zones 17, 23, 24, and Hawaii. They need a
frost-free climate. We consistently get night frosts in the winter,
sometimes every night for a week or more. Also, since I'm somewhat
inland, the air might be too dry. It's too dry for fuschias.

--
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