Some daylilies make such a gooey mess with their "morning-after" blooms that I am wondering if I should just remove these blooms at night even if they haven't died yet. But I know that daylilies have different blooming periods diurnal, etc. although I don't really understand what this means. I don't want to deadhead something that is planning on staying in bloom for the next morning.

caitlinsgarden said:Some daylilies make such a gooey mess with their "morning-after" blooms that I am wondering if I should just remove these blooms at night even if they haven't died yet. But I know that daylilies have different blooming periods diurnal, etc. although I don't really understand what this means. I don't want to deadhead something that is planning on staying in bloom for the next morning.

It's called live-heading and a lot of folks do it. Any bloom that has been open throughout the day will not be fresh as one that is starting to open in the evening. And unless you are making seeds, there's no need to keep an old bloom on a scape if it bothers you or if it causes a conflict with newly opening buds.

Take off the old, spent blooms before they get messy and have a fresh garden in the morning.

I've live headed for YEARS, probably since I first began with an AHS DIsplay Garden around 2000. I like to take pictures early in the AM, and want a clean slate with images, plus there might be unexpected visitors. Plus it keeps down the appearance of that nasty bug that feeds on old "daylily goo." Yikes, I'll have to look them up, because the name won't come to mind at the moment!! Truth is, I haven't seen any of them for a few years, as live heading really keeps them down. European earwigs, yuck!!! IF you have trouble with earwigs and begin liveheading, your population of this pest will decrease dramatically!!

Is the nasty bug that feeds on daylily goo the sap beetle?

https://www.google.com/search?...

Earwig

I haven't seen earwigs on the soggy spent blooms but I have found sap beetles in them. I usually see earwigs in the live blooms (and the damage they do to the flower surface). Sorry, thought you were mentioning earwigs as something else rather than remembering the name.

I like to live head too but for some reason I put if off and end up having to do it in the morning.

For stained hands I used to use Sof-Scrub with bleach but I cannot find that anymore so I used Bar Keepers Friend. WOW I was amazed!!! It takes the stains off right away. So if you deadhead, give it a try.

I use disposable surgical gloves! Keep a package right beside the back garage door! Lemon juice works well when you do get pollen stains too.

I sometimes do that too but on hot days (which is way too often) my hand gets so hot and sweaty. I'll still use the glove too, but on super hot days I can fall back on the Bar Keepers Friend.

Are morning and evening the only 2 times daylilies open? If some open in the afternoon, I wouldn't want to lop off their heads before I get a chance to enjoy them.

caitlinsgarden said:Are morning and evening the only 2 times daylilies open? If some open in the afternoon, I wouldn't want to lop off their heads before I get a chance to enjoy them.

We all would love to have a garden full of daylilies that look just as fresh at the end of the day's bloom as they did when they first opened. They are out there, I have a few and I love them, but for the most part, it shouldn't be difficult to tell spent blooms from blooms that are just opening. Get to know your plants. Walk your garden at various times. Observe their opening traits. Check online to see if opening traits are noted on their registration.

I live-head if I haven't used it for hybridizing and scissors (leaving enough for the hopeful seed pod (1/2") if I have pollinated it. You need really sharp clean scissors. And occasionally the base pops off. On those I chalk it up to pollen not setting.

Like Tara, I also use a scissors. I also use the gloves. I don't have a display garden, so no live heading for me. When I get home it is dark most of the time. I don't dead head all my plants. Mainly the ones in the way of a good picture as I frame in on my cell before snapping. Not enough time in the morning for that anyway. FYI from earlier post - diurnal = open early morning or during the day. https://daylilies.org/resource....