Did you know that one of the easiest and best ways to keep your marigolds blooming big all summer long is to simply deadhead them on a regular basis?
It’s true! The simple act of removing fading marigold flowers can help your plants stay healthier, brighter, and most importantly, loaded with colorful blooms the entire growing season. And perhaps best of all, by saving a few of those fading flowers back, you can have all of the seeds you will ever need to grow them again for free next year!
Marigolds truly are one of the best flowers you can grow at home. Not only do they light up any area with huge interest and color, they also bring in a wide range of pollinators – including two of the most important, bees and butterflies.
Even better, marigolds also repel some of the most devastating pests in home gardens and flowerbeds. The pungent scent that comes from its blooms can keep mosquitoes, aphids, cabbage worms, whiteflies and many other pests far away. See: The Amazing Benefits of Growing Marigolds In Your Garden
Best of all, marigolds are one of the easiest and low maintenance annuals of all to grow. In fact, all they really need is a steady diet of water, a bit of fertilizer – and regular deadheading to provide lasting flower power right up til fall.
Here is a look at how to deadhead your marigolds this summer – and why it’s so vital to keep them blooming big!
How To Deadhead Marigolds – And Get Them To Bloom Even Bigger!
So why is deadheading so important to keep marigold plants flowering? For starters, by removing the old blooms as they begin to fade, you save your plant a tremendous amount of resources.
When an old bloom stays on a plant, it does more than just look unsightly. As long as it hangs from its stem, the plant continues to expend energy on it. Why? Because it is in the plants DNA to try to heal and fix any foliage or flowers that are struggling. Even though no amount of energy will ever heal a fading bloom!
Even worse, once the bloom goes beyond that stage, the plant then spends more nutrients and energy on it to help it form seeds. And all of that energy loss can mean far less nutrients and moisture available to set new blooms.
The good news is that once a marigold bloom is removed, all of that energy loss stops. And – all of that saved power can then go toward setting new buds and flowers.
How To Deadhead Marigolds
When deadheading – how you remove the flowers is important when it comes to saving the plant energy. To remove the blooms, you need to make sure to pinch the stem right behind the flower and take off the seed head as well.
By doing this behind the seed head – you allow the plant to instantly stop sending energy to the old flower. But if you were to only remove the flower, it would continue to burn power to set seeds.
Luckily, with marigolds, there is no need for pruners or scissors to complete the task. The rigid bloom head will snap off easily by just pinching the stem right behind the flower head with your fingers.
To keep your plant producing blooms, try to deadhead your plants a few times each week. It’s actually amazing how quickly you will see new buds form after a single deadheading session!
Watering & Fertilizing For Blooms – How To Deadhead Marigolds & Get Them To Bloom Bigger
In addition to regular deadheading, marigolds still need moisture and nutrients to continue to bloom well. And that is exactly why watering and fertilizing your plants on a regular basis is a must.
When it comes to water, marigolds are actually one of the most drought tolerant annual flowers of all. But to bloom to their full potential – proper moisture in the soil is critical. Moisture not only keeps the roots and foliage alive, it also helps transfer nutrients all throughout the plant. And that is huge when it comes to forming new buds!
The secret to watering marigolds is to never let the soil where they grow go completely dry. Once this occurs, the roots will shrivel and the plant suffers. At the same time, don’t over water. If the soil becomes overly saturated, the roots swell. And with this happens, they can’t take nutrients in either.
To thrive, marigolds need around 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. For marigolds growing in flowerbeds, that means watering two to three times per week if it fails to rain. And for ones growing in pots and containers, daily watering is usually a must.
Listen To Our Podcast Below On The Many Benefits Of Growing Marigolds!
Fertilizing Your Marigolds – How To Deadhead Marigolds & Get Them To Bloom Bigger
Finally, don’t forget to fertilize your marigolds regularly. Whether growing in flowerbeds or in pots and containers, all of that constant blooming can deplete the nutrients from the soil quickly.
When fertilizing marigolds, select a liquid fertilizer that is high in phosphorous and potassium. Both nutrients are responsible for setting buds and getting those buds to flower. Affiliate Product Link: Jack’s Classic 10-30-20 Blossom Booster Water-Soluble Fertilizer
Liquid fertilizers are best for marigolds because they provide energy far faster than granular fertilizers. This is because the nutrients soak in both through the roots and through the plants leaves.
As for how often to fertilize, it’s best to fertilize marigolds every seven to ten days with a lighter dose. This constant supply can keep your plants blooming big without worry all summer long!
Simple Garden Life
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Simple Garden Life is a website dedicated to keeping gardening fun, simple and enjoyable! We publish two new articles each week along with a new garden podcast episode every two weeks. This article may contain affiliate links.