Do I Pinch Geranium Buds After Flowering?

Benefits of Deadheading

• Deadheading fools the geranium into producing blooms for several weeks instead of going to seed. This simple technique works because a geranium plant has limited energy. As long as the plant is blooming, it will continue to bloom Once the flowers wilt, the geranium diverts its energy into producing seeds. Deadheading is also beneficial because it keeps geraniums neat and well-groomed.

How to Deadhead

• Deadheading geraniums requires only a few seconds, but the task should be done on a regular basis. To deadhead a geranium, pinch the faded bloom and the stem down as far as the next bud, bloom or leaf. Don't wait until the flower is completely wilted, as the geranium plant may begin going to seed.

Ivy Geraniums

• Trailing plants with smaller blooms and ivy-like foliage, Ivy geraniums are usually planted in hanging baskets. Ivy geraniums don't require deadheading, as the flower petals drop naturally from the plant, soon to be replaced by new blooms. While deadheading isn't required, pinching spent blooms of ivy geraniums is still a useful activity, as it keeps the plant looking neat.

Pinching

• Pinching, similar to deadheading, is way of encouraging geraniums to branch out, creating full, bushy plants. Geraniums are generally pinched only once when the plants are young, as pinching geraniums postpones blooming by about a month. Using your fingernails, pinch the growing tips of young geraniums. Each pinched area sends out two new shoots.