Almost certainly it's a plant that blooms on new growth. When you prune back to old growth, you need to allow time for the new growth to appear and for buds to develop on that new growth.

Al

I need some help learning what to do to take care of carnations. Do I deadhead them? How much should I cut off? Thanks for the advice. (I bought these at a grocery store other than that they're small and red I don't know what they are technically called.)

Almost all annuals & many perennials benefit from deadheading, blooming longer, stronger, and/or multiple times. In terms of physiology, it makes no difference how much stem you take off, as long as the fruiting portion of the plant (ovule & receptacle), basically the seedhead in most cases, is removed. For best looks, remove the stem portion all the way back to the first node (where a leaf or branch occurs) or to where it emerges from the stem (in the case of blooms borne on single stems).

Al