How to Deadhead Geraniums & Why You Need To

How to Deadhead Geraniums & Why You Need To

Discover how to deadhead geraniums to encourage growth and vibrant blooms. Learn why this simple task is essential for your garden with WM James & Co!

The easiest way to keep your garden looking vibrant and lively is to get your border flowers to bloom multiple times throughout the spring and summer. The easiest way to generate repeat blooms is to learn how to deadhead geraniums.

While these lovely flowers are some of the easiest to plan, they still require some TLC, which includes deadheading.

Whether you're a beginner gardener or a seasoned horticulturalist who's growing geraniums for the first time, we've created a simple guide full of handy gardening tips to help you deadhead geraniums properly and learn why it's important.

When Do You Deadhead Geraniums?

geranium

Deadheading geraniums should be done throughout the flowering season, which typically spans from late spring to early autumn, generally from May to October in the UK.

Deadhead your flowers as soon as they start to wilt or fade. By watching your plants during their peak bloom months, you can encourage more growth and maintain a vibrant display.

Check your geraniums regularly, especially after heavy rain or wind, to keep them healthy and beautiful throughout the growing season.

Wind Protection For Plants: 10 Tips To Keep Your Garden Safe

How to Prune Geraniums the Right Way

The key to successful gardening is knowing how to care for your flowering plants properly to get the most out of them and keep them healthy, so they can last as long as possible.

Here's the correct way to deadhead your geraniums to keep them blooming and healthy throughout the flowering season.

1. Identify the Dead Flowers

The first step in pruning your geranium plants is to identify the blooms that need to be removed from the plant.

To identify dead flowers on a geranium plant, look for blooms that have faded and lost their vibrant colour, often turning brown at the edges. The petals may also feel dry or brittle. 

Additionally, check for flowers that have shrivelled or are drooping, indicating they are no longer healthy or viable.

If you're not sure if a flower is ready to be deadheaded yet, there's no harm in leaving it another day rather than removing a healthy flower head.

2. Locate the Base of the Geranium Flower Heads

On the dried flower heads, you'll need to locate the flower's base to successfully remove it without damaging the stem, which can potentially affect the blooms for the rest of the season.

To find the base of the geranium flower heads, trace the stem downwards from the wilted bloom until you reach a thicker, green section.

The stem is usually slender at the top and broadens slightly near the base, like a node or nodule, providing a clear indication of where to make your cut for deadheading.

3. Pinch the Node at the Flower Stem

After identifying the node where the flower stem meets the geranium leaves, gently pinch to cleanly cut or snap off the withered flower head.

4. Snap the Dried Flower Head Off

With a firm grip on the node, snap the flower head off with a quick, sharp motion. The dried flower should come off cleanly from the rest of the plant, leaving space for a new flower to bloom in a few weeks.

If the flower doesn't come away cleanly and starts to strip down the healthy stem of the plant, don't keep pulling. Instead, use a garden knife to cleanly cut the deadhead off the plant.

Shop Quality Garden Knives

Deadhead Geraniums With Snips or Secateurs

In addition to pinching off dead flowers by hand, you can use snips or secateurs for deadheading geraniums. These tools provide a precise cut, minimising damage to healthy stems and surrounding foliage.

Using snips or secateurs can also be less strenuous on your hands, making the process quicker and more efficient. 

Opting for garden tools with an ergonomic grip, like the Burgon & Ball Bypass Secateurs, can take the strain off your joints when performing garden maintenance.

5. Dispose of the Dead Flowers

After deadheading your geraniums, make sure to dispose of the removed flowers properly. This will prevent any potential disease or pests from spreading to other plants in your allotment or garden.

You can either compost the dead flowers or throw them away in a sealed bag. Our Beehive Composter is a great choice to keep your garden looking stylish while making use of any gardening waste.

Benefits of Pruning Geraniums Correctly

Now that you've mastered the technique, it's important to understand why correct pruning is crucial for the health and longevity of your border perennials.

Increased Blooms Throughout the Season

Geraniums are repeat bloomers, so regular pruning is essential. This encourages the plant to focus its energy on producing new blooms for a second flush. 

By deadheading faded flowers, you stimulate growth and promote the development of fresh buds, resulting in a vibrant display of flowers throughout the season.

Fuller-Looking Geranium Flowers

As you prune away the spent blooms, the energy that would have been diverted to the fading flowers is redirected towards producing new buds. This not only results in a greater number of blossoms (like we mentioned above) but also enhances the overall fullness and density of the plant. 

With each round of deadheading, the geraniums are encouraged to develop robust and vibrant flower clusters, creating a lush and visually appealing display in your garden.

This continual cycle of flowering ensures your geraniums look their best, maintaining a lively and abundant presence that brightens up any garden, big or small.

5 Incredible 2-Tiered Garden Ideas to Transform Your Outdoor Space

Prevention of Common Geranium Diseases

Correctly pruning geraniums is vital for preventing the onset of common diseases that could jeopardise the health of your plants.

When dead flowers are left on many plants, they can become breeding grounds for pests and diseases, such as botrytis blight or powdery mildew

By regularly removing faded blooms and any overly dense foliage, you improve air circulation around the plants, which reduces humidity levels and deters fungal growth.

Additionally, deadheading minimises the risk of rot developing at the base of the flower stems, ensuring that your geraniums remain vigorous and resilient.

Creates an Overall Healthier Geranium Plant

Regular pruning is crucial for the health of geraniums. By removing faded blooms and excess foliage, the plant can focus its energy on new growth and flowers rather than on old parts.

Also, frequent pruning strengthens stems and roots, helping geraniums thrive in different conditions.

Ultimately, a consistent pruning routine results in healthier, more hardy geraniums that display vibrant blooms and lush foliage throughout the growing season.

Key Takeaways: Create Beautiful Geranium Blooms With Careful Deadheading

With careful deadheading, you can ensure your geraniums thrive and produce beautiful blooms throughout the growing season. By regularly removing faded flowers, you encourage new growth, promote fuller plants, and prevent common diseases.

This simple yet effective practice not only enhances the visual appeal of your garden but also fosters healthier plants, allowing you to enjoy a vibrant and continuous display of colour from late spring to early autumn.

At WM James & Co., we have all the gardening tools you need to maintain your beautiful garden throughout the year, including garden snips and pruners endorsed by the RHS!

Explore Our Quality Plant Pruning Tools

FAQs

Where Do You Pinch off Geraniums?

You should pinch off dried geranium heads at the base of the flower stem – this is different from the base of the main stem. Most varieties have a small, bulbous node to pinch on.

Can You Use Scissors to Deadhead Geraniums?

Yes, you can use scissors to deadhead geraniums. Just ensure they are sharp to make clean cuts, which will help prevent damage to healthy stems or foliage. Always aim for precision to maintain the plant's overall health and appearance.

Should I Remove Yellow Leaves From Geraniums?

Yes, you should remove yellow leaves from geraniums. Yellowing leaves can indicate stress or disease; by removing them, you promote better air circulation and redirect the plant's energy towards healthier growth and new blooms.

What Month Do You Cut Back Geraniums?

Geraniums should be cut back in late autumn or early spring once the risk of frost has passed. This helps rejuvenate the plants, promoting healthy growth and more vibrant annual flowers when the growing season begins again.