How to Deadhead the Cypress Vine Manually

In a recent entry, I wrote about the importance of deadheading for more flowers. In that same entry, I added a simple procedure for deadheading the flowers of the Cypress Vine using a pair of pruning shears.

But what if you don't have a pair of shears on hand? Certainly, the pruning shear does a better job of cutting the spent blooms cleanly, but there is a way to conveniently and manually deadhead.

Shown below are a couple of buds on the same stem. The one on the left is the seed pod left by the flower. This is evidenced by its long pistil still showing. The pistil looks like a long white thread. On the other hand, the one on the right is a bud just about to sprout a flower. In another entry, I wrote how to differentiate a flower bud against a spent bloom.


To deadhead manually means pinching out the pod left by the bloom. Using your thumb and index finger, locate the part of the pod to pinch.

This is just below the light green part of the pod.


After locating the spot, pinch on it using the nail of the thumb and the pad of the index finger. This is the softest part of the pod that can be removed easily. Anything below this is quite tough and could hardly be removed by just using the fingers of one hand.


Shown below is the pod easily removed by the thumb and index finger of one hand only. The cut isn't as clean as when you use a pair of shears but this procedure is easy and fast.