- Pruning the plant in annual mulleins
- Properly cut mulleins that are two or more years old
- When and why not to prune mullein
- tips and tricks
Since the mulleins are usually annual or biennial plants, pruning is not really necessary. Nevertheless, pruning measures can also be useful under certain conditions when caring for the mullein.
If the mullein is cut back after flowering, it cannot multiply
Pruning the plant in annual mulleins
Among the many subspecies of the mullein (Verbascum), also known as wool flower or weather candle, there are also annual species that sometimes die off immediately after the flowering period. With these species, you can extend the lifespan of the plant a little if you cut off the candle-like inflorescence directly above the leaf rosette on the ground after the individual flowers have faded. So you accept that there will be no self-sowing at the location due to a lack of seed maturity, but you can sometimes enjoy the silvery hairy leaf rosette until autumn, which dries out less quickly when cut back.
Properly cut mulleins that are two or more years old
In the case of mulleins that are two or more years old, a pruning in the first year after sowing is only appropriate if you discover infested or diseased shoots on the plants. If you remove the withered inflorescences from the second year immediately after flowering, a new inflorescence can sometimes form in the same growing season.
When and why not to prune mullein
The mullein can be propagated by seed or root cuttings. Since the cultivation of young plants from root cuttings requires a certain amount of effort, many hobby gardeners allow the relatively uncontrolled propagation of wool flowers by self-sowing. However, for self-sowing or the targeted harvesting and sowing of the seeds, it is essential that the seeds on the inflorescences fully ripen. Therefore, in this case, you may cut off the leaves affected by pests or pathogens, but not the faded inflorescence, until the seed is ripe.
tips and tricks
When self-sowing, the mullein often chooses unsuitable places for the gardener. As this can also make digging difficult, it is a good idea to cut off unwanted specimens at ground level once you have identified them by their distinctive leaves.