Calibrachoa, widely recognized as “million bells,” are popular flowering plants that bring a cascade of vibrant color to gardens, particularly in hanging baskets and containers. These compact, mounding plants produce numerous small, trumpet-shaped blooms that resemble miniature petunias. While they are celebrated for their continuous floral display, understanding the practice of deadheading helps maintain their vigor and appearance. Deadheading, the removal of spent flowers, is a common horticultural technique applied to many flowering plants.
Why Deadhead Calibrachoa
Deadheading calibrachoa encourages the plant to direct its energy into producing more flowers rather than developing seeds. When faded blooms are removed, the plant receives a signal to initiate new bud formation, resulting in a prolonged and abundant flowering season. This practice also promotes bushier, more compact growth, preventing the plant from becoming leggy or straggly. Removing spent flowers significantly improves the overall aesthetic appeal of the plant by eliminating unsightly, shriveled blooms. It also contributes to the plant’s general health by focusing its resources on vegetative and floral growth.
When to Deadhead Calibrachoa
Identifying spent calibrachoa blooms is straightforward; they appear faded, shriveled, or discolored, often turning brown. While calibrachoa are often referred to as “self-cleaning” plants, meaning their spent flowers naturally drop off, manual deadheading still provides benefits. Regular inspection of your plants throughout the blooming season, typically from spring until the first frost, allows for timely removal of these fading flowers. Despite their self-cleaning mechanism, actively removing these blooms can still promote more vigorous growth and a tidier appearance.
How to Deadhead Calibrachoa
Deadheading calibrachoa can be done effectively with clean, sharp snips or even by hand, using your fingernails for smaller tasks. For individual spent flowers, locate the withered bloom and pinch or snip the stem just below the flower head, above the nearest healthy leaf or branching point. This encourages new growth to emerge from that node.
When a section of the plant appears leggy or has many spent blooms, a light shearing technique can be employed. To perform a light shearing, use clean scissors or pruning shears to cut back the stems by about one-third to one-half of their length. This method is particularly useful for rejuvenating plants in mid-season that have become sparse or overgrown. Focus on maintaining the desired shape of the plant while removing the faded sections. Regular, light pruning of branch tips also encourages increased branching and more flowers.
Post-Deadheading Care
After deadheading, providing proper care helps calibrachoa recover and continue its prolific blooming. Ensure the plant receives consistent moisture, watering when the top inch or two of soil feels dry to the touch. Calibrachoa are heavy feeders, so consider a light application of a balanced liquid fertilizer every two to four weeks to support new growth and flower production. Monitor the plant for any signs of pests or diseases, though calibrachoa are generally resistant. Adequate air circulation also helps prevent potential issues after pruning.