How to pinch petunia - useful tips

Volumetric multi-colored bushes of terry, ampel, two-color and monochromatic petunias have won the hearts of experienced gardeners and beginners. From mid-spring to the first frost, flowers, amazing in their diversity and decorativeness, adorn not only summer cottages, but also balconies of multi-storey buildings, verandas of cottages, city flower beds, cafes and restaurants. The flowers are unpretentious, do not require professional maintenance and special conditions, but they respond graciously for the care of flower growers.

Prerequisites for pinching petunias

Proper cultivation and shaping is essential for a beautiful and healthy bush. In addition to timely sowing and diving, it is necessary to correctly pinch the petunia. This means that at a certain stage of growth, she needs to remove the upper shoots. This procedure will ensure the branching of the stems and the formation of many buds on the bushy crowns.

Read also the article: how to pinch tomatoes correctly (step by step photo)?

To carry out this manipulation, you will need the following:

• comfortable scissors or pruning shears;
• mature seedlings with 4 - 5 large leaves at the top;
• container for collecting removed cuttings.

How should you pinch petunia?

Before pinching petunia, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the basic requirements for this procedure:

1. Observing the growth of seedlings, it is necessary to choose a period when it has grown a little stronger and soon began to grow upward. It can have up to 5 - 6 leaves, but not more. If you skip this moment, the seedlings will stretch. Actually pinching petunias will not take long. It is necessary to cut the stem over 5 - 6 leaves with your fingers or shears.
   This is how a new growth point is formed, from which several shoots will begin to grow simultaneously in different directions. During this period, the seedlings can slow down development, but at the same time they will get stronger. When the side shoots go, the bush will take on a more rounded appearance.
2. If you plan to plant seedlings in open ground, then pinching is best done after rooting. The sprout will take several days to adapt. During this period, you need to try to create favorable conditions for the plants to take root:
   • you need to plant seedlings loosely, observing the conditions of agricultural technology;
   • monitor the frequency of watering and spraying;
   • apply a specialized strengthening fertilizer at the root.

If development takes place in a greenhouse, you can pinch the petunia after diving.

3. If the cut shoots are not very small, they can be used as cuttings. In order for the cutting to take root, it is placed in a container of water. First you need to remove the extra leaves, leaving a few in the upper part. When the roots appear, they are transplanted into the soil. This way you can get additional young seedlings.

Useful Tips

• when pinching, try to injure the sprout as little as possible, use clean tools;
• a month after the event and the appearance of strong lateral branches, pinching the tops of petunias can be repeated;
• use suitable fertilizers for laying large buds on new stepchildren, they will make the flowers brighter and larger.

In order for a formed decorative bush to please with its beautiful appearance as long as possible, it will need constant care.From the moment of sowing, not a single transplant, pinching, spraying of sprouts will be required. Do not forget to water and feed well, remove dried flowers and shoots. In place of the old cut flowers, new branches with buds will appear. Well-groomed colorful petunias will undoubtedly delight you with abundant and long flowering in gratitude.

How to pinch petunia correctly (video)