How to prune calendula

Why should calendula be pruned?

Generally, potted calendulas need to be pruned because usually multiple plants are planted in one pot with a high density. As they grow, the branches and leaves will increase and become crowded, which will lead to poor ventilation and light conditions, and the plants will be more susceptible to diseases, and may even have withered flowers or the plants will climb high, affecting the appreciation of the calendula. It is best to prune them. When pruning, you can adopt methods such as thinning branches, controlling flowers and cutting fruits.

Calendula officinalis thinning

Calendula has a strong branching ability. Generally, each side branch can grow 3 or 5 branches. In order to achieve the purpose of ventilation and light transmission, pruning should be carried out when the side branches of the plant form wisdom and in the second season, and the overly dense and thin branches should be cut off. As the plant continues to grow, the branches continue to move upward, and you need to constantly cut off dense branches, branches with buds, and dead flowers to allow it to grow well.

Flower control of calendula

Flower control for calendula is also a very important step. The flowers of calendula will generally bloom slowly from February to early April, and need to be shaped, mainly by short pruning. Shortening the strong branches with flower buds of calendula can control the amount of flowers and prolong the flowering period.

Calendula officinalis fruit pruning

Calendula sometimes needs to be pruned because the growth of the fruit consumes a lot of nutrients and needs to be pruned in time. When pruning, it should be done according to the specific growth conditions. For branches that grow healthily, if there are flower buds, you can keep 3-4 nodes and cut off the rest. If there are flower buds, cut to the part with flower buds. For weaker branches, if there are flower buds, cut them to the bud part; if there are no flower buds, cut off the entire branch. Pruning should be done on a sunny day so that the wound can heal quickly. If you do not need to keep seeds during the flowering period, you can cut off all the withered flowers.