Deadheading Plants and Stopping Chrysanthemums

Stopping and Disbudding Chrysanthemums

1. To obtain the best blooms, pinch out the main stem above the top pair of fully developed leaves in late spring or very early summer.
2. New shoots appear from leaf axils on the stem. Pinch out unwanted shoots over several days, leaving six or eight to develop.
3. In early and mid summer, remove side-shoots (which grow on the remaining side-shoots) once they are about 2.5cm (1 in) long.
4. By mid to late summer a group of flower buds forms at the top of each side-shoot. Pinch out the side buds and their shoots to produce a bigger bloom on the central crown bud.
5. The result is an evenly branched, open plant with earlier and bigger flowers. A chrysanthemum left to grow naturally produces a dense, bushy plant with many small flowers.

Stopping Garden Pinks

1. Young plants must be stopped in their first growing season once nine or ten pairs of fully grown leaves have developed.
2. Take the sixth or seventh joint from the base and bend the stem sharply. If the stem does not snap cleanly, cut it as close to the joint as possible.
3. Breaks or side-shoots now appear from each of the leaf joints. This delays flowering, but in so doing creates much stronger growth.
4. The result is a bushy, shrub-like plant with a succession of flowers. Do not stop garden pinks again in subsequent years.

Deadheading

1. Lilies produce flowers on upright spikes which open from the base upwards. Pinch off flowers when they fade to improve appearance and stop seed formation, which weakens growth.
2. With annuals such as marigolds, cut or snap off each flower, as it fades, between finger and thumb with a twisting motion — this encourages more blooms and increases plant vigour.
3. Regularly dead-head multi-flowered roses, such as the shrub roses, climbers and ramblers, by hand. Use a twisting action to maintain tidiness, unless hips are required in autumn.
4. Hybrid tea roses and floribundas should be dead-headed using secateurs. Cut just above a leaf which has an outward-facing bud in its axil, making a cut away from the bud.
5. With rhododendrons, break off the entire flowerhead once it has faded, gripping it between finger and thumb. This will help to produce the maximum number of flowers next year.
6. Perennial plants with bare flower stems, such as red-hot pokers, should be dead-headed to ground level. If the stems bear foliage, however, trim to just below the top leaves.

GARDENING SAFETY TIPS

Garden Safety - Electrical Safety

Outside mains electricity cables must be enclosed in conduit along their entire length. Wherever mains sockets are exposed to the weather or moisture, they must be fitted with a weatherproof faceplate which should be secured when the socket is not in use.

To avoid cutting through the mains cable by accident when using an electric lawnmower, put the cable across your shoulder so that you are always walking with it trailing behind you. Work systematically over the lawn and never cross the cable.

When you run a cable across a patio, make sure it can't rub against a wall. Make a roller from a wooden stake and a piece of plastic drainpipe or a washing-up liquid bottle to keep the cable clear of sharp edges. Avoid getting kinks in the cable.

Protective Clothing

Wear strong gardening gloves when pruning thorny or woody plants, especially roses. They also provide some protection against rubbing blisters in the palm of your hand if you have soft skin.

Wear stout shoes or boots preferably with reinforced toe caps, when digging or using machinery. Never stab a fork into the soil — place the prongs on the soil surface then push the fork into the ground with your foot.

When using long-handled electric coarse-grass trimmers, wear long boots to protect your shins, ankles and feet from the rotating whip-cord blades even though all models have a guard around the back of the cutters.

Wear stout gloves and footwear when doing any construction work around the garden. Also wear plastic goggles to protect your eyes when cutting paving slabs with a bolster, or chipping up stone or concrete.

Lifting Heavy Weights

Lifting heavy weights can cause back or groin injury if done incorrectly. Crouch down to the object with feet apart and one foot alongside the load. Keep your back straight and let your leg muscles do the lifting work.

Never attempt to lift awkward shaped or very heavy items by yourself. To minimize the actual height to which the load must be lifted, use rope or sturdy straps as handles. Again, let your leg muscles do the lifting.

When taking a heavy sack from a lorry or from a platform it is best to carry it on your back Get a firm grip with both hands and keep your back straight by raising the top of your head slightly and by tucking in your chin.

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