Not All Pinching Is Bad
I was always taught, "Do not pinch your sister!" and "Do not pinch your brother!" The times that I was the one who got pinched, I remember going to my parents and saying, "He/she pinched me!" Pinching hurt, and it seemed like when I got pinched, they pinched me harder than I had pinched them.
I'm sure you can relate to this. Probably all of you can. We grew up knowing that pinching wasn't something we should do because it hurt other people.
So imagine my response when I was watching a video about how to help zinnias grow longer stems for cutting, and they said, "You will need to pinch your plants!" My response was, "What? No way! I have planted all these flowers from seeds, babied them, and watched them grow. They are now around 8 inches tall, looking healthy and strong, and you want me to 'pinch' them back? No way—it will hurt... me!"
All I could think about were the hours I had put into growing the zinnias from seeds. I had planted them in 72-cell trays in early spring and kept them under grow lights until after our last frost. I then proceeded to harden them off so they could be planted in my garden. Once they were planted, I watched over them and made sure they received the right amount of water, pulled weeds from their beds, and placed horizontal netting to help them stand up straighter. A lot of work had gone into growing the zinnias by the time I watched the video on pinching flowers.
It was hard for me to pinch my flowers that year. It felt like I was doing something wrong, and I worried that the flowers wouldn't continue to grow well. However, the video I had watched and the information I had read came from very experienced flower farmers, so it had to be correct.
I learned a big and valuable lesson that year. Pinching your flowers is one of the best things you can do for the varieties that need it. It encourages branching and produces more blooms and bushier growth. Pinching flowers is a good thing and a necessary thing to do. It was only painful for me the first year doing it. After that, it became a habit, and I have been pinching my flowers ever since.
What Is Pinching?
Pinching, also known as tipping, is a pruning technique to use on young plant to encourage branching and bushier growth. It causes the plant to concentrate on developing side shoots instead of one large shoot in the middle. You will find that the stems will grow at a more reasonable thickness, will be more manageable when used in arrangements and will be longer.
When To Pinch?
Generally pinching occurs once the plant as produced at least three sets of leaves and is around 8” tall. You can use your thumb and finger to pinch the plant or shears, whichever you feel most comfortable using. Make your cut at an angle, above the second set of leaves. Then sit back and watch the new growth appear!
Dahlia stem with three sets of leaves, prior to pinching.
Position your shears above the second set of leaves, and cut at an angle
The dahlia stem after being pinched.
Flowers That Benefit From Pinching
The following flowers benefit from pinching. If you are interested in trying this technique and feel a little unsure, why not try it on several of your flowers this season and see how they grow this year? I have always enjoyed experimenting with growing my flowers, there are lessons learned all the time!
Zinnias, Dahlias, Cosmos, Snapdragons, Marigolds, Basil, Celosia, Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan’s) and Sweet Peas.