Can you deadhead flowers with regular scissors?
Written by
Kiana Okafor
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.If applied correctly, regular scissors can also deadhead flowers. Focus on plants with soft stems and less fibrous growth such as petunias or geraniums, where the tender stems slice cleanly with the sharp scissors.... I've used embroidery scissors for years, all with delicate annual flowers, and have not had issues. The secret is in the sharpness of the scissors and the precision of the cut.
Household Scissors
- Best for: Petunias, pansies, lobelia
- Sharpen monthly with a whetstone
- Wipe blades with alcohol after acidic plants like tomatoes
Bypass Pruners
- Essential for: Roses, lavender, hydrangeas
- Lubricate pivot points seasonally
- Replace blades when cuts feel jagged
Avoid inflicting damage to stems, which could be the stealthy killer of your deadheading accomplishments. Using dull scissors can simply crush plant tissue, giving disease pathways to enter your plant. My neighbor lost an entire bed of begonias this way. For woody stems, you would also want to spend extra money on top-shelf lain grade bypass pruners that have curved blades that hug stems closely to produce more precise cuts that similar straight scissors could never accomplish.
When it comes to tool selection, disinfectant is just as important. Wipe blades with rubbing alcohol between each plant, especially if you have been working on diseased host plants and are now going to healthy specimens. Last fall, I prevented a fungal outbreak in my marigolds by sanitizing my pruners with rubbing alcohol after every cut. Simple habits lead to healthy gardens!
Read the full article: How to Deadhead Flowers for Continuous Blooms
