Deadheading will help the plant refocus its energy toward growing even more beautiful blooms.

The vibrant colors of zinnia flowers are a highlight in any garden. However, when these blooms start to fade and lose their color -- or even turn brown -- it's easy to start panicking. Should you cut the blooms? Or should you leave them be?

Ultimately, the best solution is to snip the spent, faded flowers -- a process known as deadheading. This will encourage the plant to refocus its energy on producing new blooms, so your garden will be awash in color again in no time. Here's how you should do it, according to gardening experts.

"Deadheading your fading or spent zinnia flowers will help the plant produce even more blooms, and keep the plant looking healthy and vibrant," says Steven Engel, regional account manager at PanAmerican Seed.

There are other benefits to deadheading as well. It also lightens the flower canopy, so the blooms are less likely to fall over in the rain or wind, says Lisa Mason Ziegler, author of The Cut Flower Handbook.

Removing older blooms can even increase airflow, minimizing the risk of disease and pests. "[It] decreases the chance for Botrytis, an airborne fungus that lives on dead organic material and can make a plant rot," adds Engel.

Ready to get started? Here's how to properly deadhead your zinnias so they come back more vibrant than ever.

It's time to deadhead once a flower begins to fade, or you notice the edges of the petals start to turn brown.

"As the blooms age, they fade in color and develop seed; they become heavier and often hang lower on the plant from the weight," says Ziegler. Many older flowers will also start to develop spots or nibble bites from insects. "The centers of the flowers tend to age first and begin to look dirty," she adds.

The place you snip the bloom will determine where the next bud emerges. The way you deadhead zinnias changes depending on whether they're for cut flowers or to enjoy in your garden.

For landscape planting: "Make the cut above two leaves to generate new sprouts," says Ziegler. For a cut flower garden: "Make the cuts deeper on the plant to generate more long, straight stems."

Snip zinnias with garden shears or scissors for a clean cut, or pinch them off with your fingers. If you're cutting zinnias for their fresh flowers, then Engel suggests only using scissors to prune them.

Deadheading zinnias is an ongoing task. "It begins as soon as the first blooms age out and continues through the season," says Ziegler. "Doing it on a regular basis, like a Saturday morning job, keeps the plant in its best condition."