"Deadheading" in my world is when I snap off old daylily blooms to make room for new daylily blooms -- which is something entirely different than being a Grateful Dead follower :) If you have lots of daylilies, the practice of deadheading brings on the phenomenon of "Purple Hand Syndrome." During the month of July I have a constant purple-ish cast on my hands and fingernails. I wash, I scrub..there it is. But I still keep truckin' (sorry...just had to throw that out there).
Why do I deadhead the daylilies?
I could wear latex gloves, but I cause far less damage to my plants by using just my hands. In July I can usually get about 4 buckets-full of dead blooms on an average day. And yes, even the bucket turns purple!
The Rx for Purple Hand Syndrome? Lemon juice. Thanks for the tip Carol and Roger!
Why do I deadhead the daylilies?
- Each flower lives for only a day, so removing the old ones keeps them looking tidier
- The new blooms aren't obstructed by the slimy, sticky, old blooms
- The plant can put more effort into producing flowers instead of seed pods
- And finally, deadheading stops any errant seeds or pods from falling and implanting in the middle of an established clump. You can deduce that a stray seed dropped if you find a plain yellow daylily blooming in the midst of a clump of pink daylilies.
I could wear latex gloves, but I cause far less damage to my plants by using just my hands. In July I can usually get about 4 buckets-full of dead blooms on an average day. And yes, even the bucket turns purple!
The Rx for Purple Hand Syndrome? Lemon juice. Thanks for the tip Carol and Roger!
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