How to Deadhead Flowering Houseplants
Removing spent blooms keeps flowering plants tidy and, for many, encourages more flowers. Learn how and where to deadhead common flowering houseplants.
Deadheading is the practice of removing flowers once they've faded. It does two things: it keeps the plant looking clean instead of cluttered with browning blooms, and for many plants it redirects energy away from setting seed and back into producing more flowers or healthy foliage.
Not every flowering houseplant benefits the same way, and a few — notably orchids — have special rules. This guide covers the general technique and the important plant-specific details so you remove spent blooms at the right spot without harming next season's flowers.
Step by step
- 1Wait until the bloom is truly spent
Deadhead once a flower has wilted, browned, or dropped its petals — not while it's still colorful and fresh. Removing a flower too early wastes a bloom that still has life left in it.
- 2Trace down to the right point
Follow the faded flower's stalk back to where it meets a leaf, a node, or the main stem. Cutting here, rather than just snipping the flower head off, removes the unsightly bare stalk too.
- 3Make a clean cut
Using clean, sharp snips, cut just above a leaf node or at the base of the spent flower stalk. Sterilize the blades first so you don't introduce disease into the fresh cut.
- 4Remove the whole faded cluster
For plants that bloom in clusters, like kalanchoe, wait until most of the cluster is spent, then remove the entire flower head down to the first set of healthy leaves.
- 5Tidy up and care normally
Clear away dropped petals from the soil surface, where they can mold or attract fungus gnats. Keep the plant well-lit and fed during bloom season to fuel the next round of flowers.
How to deadhead a peace lily and anthurium
Peace lilies and anthuriums produce a single bloom (technically a spathe) on its own stalk. When that bloom fades, turns green, then brown, trace the stalk all the way down to the base of the plant and cut it off near the soil. There's no benefit to leaving the spent stalk, and removing it keeps the plant looking fresh and channels energy into new leaves and future blooms.
Use clean snips and cut low, since a half-removed stalk just leaves a stub. These plants don't need deadheading to rebloom — flowering is driven mostly by light and maturity — but tidying spent blooms improves appearance and plant health.
Why orchids are different
Don't cut a phalaenopsis orchid spike to the base the moment its flowers drop. The same spike can often rebloom. Once all flowers have fallen, if the spike is still green, cut it back to just above a node lower down the stem — many orchids will branch and flower again from that node.
If the flower spike has turned yellow or brown and dried out, then cut it all the way back to the base, since a dead spike won't produce more blooms. For most other flowering houseplants, removing the whole spent stalk is the right move; orchids are the notable exception worth knowing.
- Wait until a bloom is fully spent before removing it
- Cut spent peace lily and anthurium stalks down at the base
- For green orchid spikes, cut above a node to encourage a rebloom
- Clear fallen petals off the soil so they don't attract fungus gnats
FAQ
Does deadheading make plants bloom more?
For many flowering plants, yes — removing spent blooms stops the plant from spending energy on producing seeds and redirects it toward new flowers or foliage. The effect is strongest in repeat-blooming plants. For plants like peace lilies and anthuriums, deadheading is more about appearance and plant health than triggering more blooms, since their flowering is driven mainly by light and maturity.
Where do I cut when deadheading?
Trace the faded flower's stalk back to where it joins a leaf, a node, or the main stem, and cut there with clean snips rather than just removing the flower head. This takes away the bare stalk too and keeps the plant tidy. For single-bloom plants like peace lilies, cut the spent stalk down near the base of the plant.
Should I cut off my orchid's flower spike after it blooms?
It depends on the spike. If the spike is still green after the flowers drop, cut it back to just above a node lower on the stem — a phalaenopsis orchid will often rebloom or branch from that node. If the spike has turned yellow or brown and dried out, cut it all the way down to the base, since it won't flower again.