Dianthus is a popular flower that many gardeners love to grow. Deadheading dianthus can be a tricky task, but there are a few guidelines you can follow to make the job easier and more efficient.
When deadheading dianthus, you want to wait till the petals start to wilt. You should use pruning shears to cut back your flower to the very base of the stem. Afterward, you’ll have to remove the excess. You can often discard a lot of these flowers in your compost heap.
If you’re interested in growing your own dianthus flowers, or you already have dianthus flowers in your garden and want to learn how to deadhead dianthus, then read on to find out how to keep your dianthus flowers in tip-top condition.
How to deadhead dianthus?
Luckily, deadheading a dianthus plant is fairly simple and can be done in a few easy steps. You can follow these steps to keep your dianthus thriving, healthy, and producing as many flowers as possible.
Wait for the right time
Keep an eye on your dianthus and when you notice the petals start to wilt, fade, and fall off the flower bud, get your shears or scissors. Make sure whatever equipment you use is sterilized with rubbing alcohol to minimize the risk of diseases being passed onto your plant.
Cut the flowers
With your shears or scissors, cut the flower stem down to the nearest set of leaves, leaving enough leaves on the plant so the dianthus can continue to grow.
When cutting the dianthus stems, inspect the plant from the top and keep your eye on a branch with a fresh flower bud growing from the stem.
These are known as lateral flowers, which are softer flowers with rounded, bulbous humps at the tip. Try to cut as close as you can to the lateral flower or branch. But be mindful to leave the last set of leaves, as these are crucial for photosynthesis, allowing your dianthus to grow back.
Once all the buds and lateral flowers are gone and have finished growing for the year, cut the stem back down to the base of the plant.
Remove the excess
Once you have cut back your dianthus, remove any leftover petals and empty seed pods from the stem. You can often discard a lot of these flowers in your compost heap, using them as food for your dianthus plants when they grow back the following year.
But be mindful to leave the last set of leaves, as these are crucial for photosynthesis, allowing your dianthus to grow back.
When to deadhead dianthus?
Keep an eye on your dianthus throughout the summer. Some dianthus will only need to be deadheaded once or twice, while some will require more maintenance and need to be pruned or deadheaded every week.
Deadheading your dianthus may not just be a task exclusive to the summer, as some varieties of the plant will need to be deadheaded throughout the year. This may be the case for dianthus growing in a greenhouse, as they will be in bloom all year.
So if you want your greenhouse Dianthus to keep coming back, then you will need to deadhead them consistently. Meanwhile, early blooming Dianthus such as Sweet William will need to be deadheaded during spring, and other hybrids of the plant that mainly bloom in summer will also need to be pruned in summer too.
It’s crucial to deadhead annual Dianthus, as this will prevent the plant from producing seeds and spreading. However, if you want the Dianthus to naturally spread, or if you want to collect the seeds to grow more Dianthus plants in your garden, then do not deadhead.
But no matter what time of year or what type of Dianthus you’re growing, if you notice your flowers looking faded or wilted, snip those bits off and more vibrant flowers are sure to grow back.
Where can you find dianthus?
You can find dianthus flowers at your local garden center or as seeds online. The Dianthus plant can often be seen with salmon-colored tips, making them particularly fetching corsages for events like proms or weddings.
Dianthus flowers come from the dianthus family, which is also known as carnation. It is a perennial plant that can often be seen in gardens or as an attractive, showy addition to pots and flower beds.
The Dianthus flower has been around for thousands of years. The plant is believed to have originated from the Mediterranean region, including parts of France and Italy.
More recently, it was brought from Europe into North America in 1812 by a doctor who recognized its medicinal properties and wanted to bring this fragrant bloom back with him across the ocean.
This plant is one of the most beautiful that you can find. Not only do they blossom with wonderful pink and white blossoms, but they will come back to grow year after year, giving you everything that you’ll need to brighten up any drab apartment.
This plant will bloom all through the summer and all through the year if they are taken care of properly. This plant also comes with spicy cinnamon notes, which makes them one of the nicest flowers to bury your nose in.
How to plant dianthus?
You should make sure that if you are planning to grow your dianthus, that you should plant it when the soil is nice and warm after winter is over. This plant thrives when it is put in the full sunlight for at least 6 hours.
The soil composition has to be very alkaline and well-drained to produce the best results.
The Dianthus plant has fragile roots, so it is important that you do not over-water them. It’s best to water the plants with lukewarm water that isn’t too cold or hot for your poor dianthus.
When to plant dianthus?
The Dianthus plant is best planted during springtime, where the soil is not as hard with frost as it would be in winter. I would recommend putting this plant in a place where it can get at least 6 hours of sunlight a day, as this plant really does thrive on light.
If you are moving your juvenile plants from pots, then I would suggest that you plant them at the same depth, which will be roughly anywhere between 30 and 46 centimeters. Make sure that when you are watering your freshly potted plants, that you water them at the base, and avoid getting any water on the foliage itself.
Where to plant dianthus?
The two most important aspects of these plants are the fact that they’ll need to have alkaline water that can be easily drained of fluids. If you are going to have them in a pot, then I would recommend that you have holes in the bottom that will allow your residue to run out freely.
This plant is very susceptible to root rot, so I would recommend that you avoid as much excess water as possible, as this will cause the roots to wilt and die.
If you are going to have them in a pot, then I would recommend that the soil be made of at least 50 percent sand.
How to care for dianthus?
You’ll need to plant your Dianthus as far apart as possible, as they will need plenty of room to flourish. I would recommend planting them at least 30 centimeters apart.
You should add around a teaspoon of fertilizer every month to make sure that your plant grows really well. You can also add crushed eggshells into the soil to keep away certain bugs that love eating flowers.
The Dianthus plant will need plenty of water, so you should make sure that it gets at least one inch per week in order for its roots to stay healthy and hydrated. This is why I recommend using clay pots, as they are more porous than plastic pots, so the plant will be able to absorb water more efficiently.
You should also cut back any dead foliage with sharp shears in order for your Dianthus flower bed to stay pristine and well maintained.
Final thoughts
I hope that our brief guide to the Dianthus flower has helped you to identify how best to care for them.
When you are deadheading them, remember that you can do this any season, but to keep your Dianthus looking at its best, make sure to regularly monitor its growth and deadhead it accordingly.
