Gazanias, in other words, African daisy, are tropical flowering plants that originated in South African Areas. You know that the beautiful blooming of gazanias extremely changes the entire beauty of the house with their colorful petals.
Do you believe that you can increase the number of this summer blooming to a great extent? Well, it is possible and that’s for the deadheading procedure. Just cut the spent flowers with their stalks for this purpose.
But this cutting process should be done correctly. To make you clear about that, I have brought you to the point of how to deadhead gazanias. Enjoy studying the full procedure and make it fruitful by applying it to your plant this summer.
How To Deadhead Gazanias – 4 Easy Steps
1. Monitor The Environment
Many gardeners don’t think of environmental issues though it is important. The place where you are cutting will grow again to produce new flowers. So, you have to ensure that that foliage part is not damaged due to any reason.
Try to complete this deadheading process in the afternoon so that excessive sunlight cannot make the internal plant fluid dry in that place. If you cut it under the scorching sunlight, the place may become dry and shrank though it is not properly seen by the naked eye.
Such a situation may hinder the blooming of the next batch. That’s why to deadhead the flowers when the environment is soothing and favorable for gazanias. This precaution can make your blooming much more facilitated.
2. Select the Flowers To Be Deadheaded
Before starting the deadheading process, you have to select the flowers first which are need to be cut off. All the flowers present in a plant won’t need to be removed at a time. That’s why you have to monitor all the flowers properly.
The flowers which have turned pale have to be selected. That means the color combination of yellow and red or other variegated colors will be pale. The flower will lose its strength to stand with stalks.
Again, the stalk along with the flower will be soft, shrank, and wilted. This type of flower is needed to be removed or deadheaded.
3. Measure the Area To Be Cut
Then, you need to understand how long you should cut off from that flower. As the stalks of gazanias are long enough, you need to cut moderate portions from those stalks.
You will have flowers of around 3-4 inches in your Gazania plants. In this case, for deadheading purposes, you have to cut off that whole flower with its full stalk.
4. Cut With a Scissor
You have already chosen and measured the stalk to be cut off with the monitoring of the environment. So now, this is the time for cutting. To complete this process, take a sharp knife or scissors which should be disinfectant with any organic solution.
This will ensure the absence of pests and diseases and keep your plant healthy. After soaking in the disinfectant solution, cut off the flowers and keep them away from the plant. Thus, you can complete the deadheading process.
Why Do Gazanias Need Deadheading?
Gazanias need deadheading for their flower development. Gazanias normally bloom from late spring to early summer. That means they produce flowers several times a season.
If you complete the process of deadheading after the end of every bloom, the production rate of the flowers will be facilitated. Consequently, you will get a great amount of blooming in a single season.
How Can Deadhead Facilitate Blooming
Gazanias need deadheading for completing their blooming. But somebody wants to know how deadheading helps gazanias to bloom more and more. Well, this is a physiological process.
Gazanias normally produce daisy-like flowers that are eye catchy for their bright color. When you are deadheading those wilted flowers, the plant gets more energy to concentrate on its flower production as they don’t need to supply food to any unwanted parts.
Thus, the plant can create situations inside so that it keeps it’s blooming unstopped to produce more flowers all season long.
How Often Should I Continue Deadheading Gazanias?
Gazanias should be deadheaded when the full-bloomed flowers are wilted or the flower color becomes pale. This same process has to be continued for the whole season.
The abundance of flowers depends on the health of the plant and the management technique that you are following to care for the gazanias. According to that, as long as flower production is available, you have to remove the dried flower with its stalks.
Can Deadheading Gazanias Be Harmful?
To be honest, deadheading won’t be harmful to your beautiful gazanias. As you are removing only the dead flowers with their stalks, it is beneficial for the plant’s health. But it won’t create any hazardous situation for your plant. You don’t need to be worried about this purpose.
Do Gazanias Come Back Every Year?
Gladly I can say that Gazania’s bloom will enchant your mind every year. Every late spring, you can see gazanias blooming in your garden.
But this can have exceptions too in adverse conditions. If your plant is not in a healthy condition or any other disease attack or environmental issues affect the plant badly, it may not bloom or bloom a little.
How To Care For Gazania
| Climate | Warm environment |
| Soil | Well-drained sandy loam soil with having neutral pH |
| Sunlight | Full sunlight, avoid a shady condition |
| Watering | Water only the soil is dry |
| Temperature | Lowest temperature tolerance- 25°F Highest temperature tolerance- 110°F |
| Humidity | 40-60% |
| Fertilizer | Provide fertilizers once in spring before blooming |
| Pest Attack |
Use insecticides or neem oil or baking soda |
FAQs
Q: Do gazanias need transplanting?
Ans: Yes, but not always. Gazanias need transplantation for two reasons.
- If the plant root is affected by disease or overwatering issues.
- When the root is increased too much that it starts to face root-bound problems in a small pot.
Q: Is Gazanias a hardy plant?
Ans: Yes! As gazanias originated from the South African tropical region, they have grown up as a drought-tolerant variety. Consequently, they can adapt to adverse environments.
Q: What can I use for propagating gazanias?
Ans: Stem cuttings or seeds. These are called propagules or propagating materials. Gazanias can produce seeds. So you may use them for new plants. But the most effective way to grow fast is using stem cuttings.
Q: Can gazanias tolerate overwatering?
Ans: No. Gazanias are drought-tolerated plants. They can manage dry soil. But overwatering is harmful to them. It will create root rot, pest infestation, and other problems.
Final Thoughts
So, finally, I have to end this article. Gazanias have high demand all over the world for their summer blooming. If you let it bloom naturally, it may not express itself properly.
But if you follow some technical steps, the blooming will increase the internal beauty of your house. That’s why I tried to highlight every small point so that you can get an idea of how to deadhead gazanias without any confusion.
So follow the 4 steps with environmental precautions as I instructed before. Thus, you can get great blooming every year in your gazanias.
Happy Gardening.
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