Pinching petunia: how to make it lush, care after the procedure

Petunia is popular with many gardeners due to its beauty and ease of cultivation. This flower is ideal for decorating a country house, summer cottage and even a balcony in an apartment. Before you start growing a plant, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of pinching a petunia.

What is pinching

Some beginner gardeners have never heard of pinching and don't know what it is for.

Pinching is called cutting off the upper part of the stems or buds located at the ends of the branches. During the procedure, it is recommended to use special tools.For this, garden shears or pruners are suitable. Pruning branches or buds by hand is contraindicated, as this may damage the plants.

Benefits of pinching petunias

It is recommended to understand in advance the purpose of the procedure and its benefits.

Formation of a lush crown

Most often, pinching flowers is done to form a crown. With the help of pruning, it is possible to grow a lush bush even from the smallest sprouts.

Top shoots stop growing

There are cases when, without pinching, a petunia begins to grow strongly, and many side shoots appear on it. To prevent this, pinch the main stem several times a season and cut off the side shoots.

Lightening and strengthening of the lower part of the shoots

It's no secret that petunia belongs to the group of herbaceous plants that have a weakened stem. Pinching helps to strengthen the lower part of the stem and makes it lignified. Such a plant tolerates weather disasters better and resists pest attacks.

How to pinch a petunia correctly

Before cutting flowers, you need to figure out how to do it correctly.

Necessary conditions for pinching petunias

Pinching should be done at the time of activation of plant growth. If tightened with pruning, the bushes will grow too tall and ugly. Experienced flower growers recommend carrying out the procedure one and a half months after planting the seeds.

Step pinching process

Step-by-step instructions will help you pinch the flower correctly.

After germination

The work consists of several successive stages:

search for the lowest sprout;
counting five sheets from the bottom;
cutting the part of the stem above the fifth leaf;
cut ash powder.

For abundant flowering

To make the flower bloom better, the procedure is carried out three times:

first - after the appearance of five leaves;
second - after transplanting sprouts into a flower bed;
third - in a period of active growth.

Features of pinching a potted petunia

Pinching a potted plant is pretty easy. The top is pinched once when the flower grows up to 10 centimeters in height.

Do all varieties of petunias need to be pinched?

Some gardeners claim that all varieties of a flower are subject to pinching, but this is not so. Most hybrid varieties bred by professional breeders can be grown without stem cutting.

Features of the formation of different types of petunias

You need to learn more about pruning the most common types of bushes.

Ampelous

A popular variety of petunias used by many gardeners to decorate flower beds. This flower is genetically designed to form a lush and brightly flowering plant. Therefore, ampelous flowers do not need pinching. However, if the seedling grows poorly, you can cut off the top stem to make the bush more branched.

Cascade

Cut at least twice during the entire growing season. Timely pinching makes seedlings more magnificent and more beautiful. During the formation of cascading bushes, side shoots are removed so that the plant is symmetrical.

Shrub and terry

Terry and bush varieties are pinched using the traditional method, which will make the shape of the bushes more magnificent.

FAQ

There are a few questions that many beginner gardeners are interested in.

Can I pinch a petunia when it's in bloom?

Flowering plants are not contraindicated. The only feature of pinching petunias during the flowering period is that you need to cut 2-3 shoots at a time.

Does pinching affect flowering time

Many are interested in how pruning stems affects flowering. Plants that are pinched will bloom 10-15 days later.

How often do you need to pinch

Experienced gardeners recommend pinching once during the active growth phase.

What to do with cut shoots?

Cut shoots can be rooted and made into planting material. To do this, you will have to remove the lower leaves of the cut stem, after which it is placed in a container of water. Over time, roots will sprout from the cutting and it can be used for planting in the ground.

Caring for a petunia after pinching

After pruning, the flowers weaken and need to be fed. Therefore, 2-3 days after pinching, mineral and organic fertilizers are added to the soil. They also use growth stimulants that saturate the soil with nutrients.

In the future, fertilizers should be applied to the soil every two weeks. In this case, it is better to use fertilizers that contain a lot of nitrogen. Also, when caring for petunias, you need to regularly moisten and loosen the soil.

Conclusion

When growing petunias, many flower growers have to pinch them. To do it right, you will have to read the recommendations for pruning common varieties.