Everything you wanted to know about pinching petunias from A to Z in one article

The unpretentious, modest petunia, familiar from childhood, has long since been transformed into a luxurious beauty. Thanks to the hard work of breeders, a huge number of varieties and hybrids in a wide variety of colors and shades have emerged.

Description and characteristics of the culture

The homeland of this beauty is considered to be Brazil and Uruguay, from where it was brought in the 18th century by the French botanist Jean Lamarck, who was searching for rare plants.

The plant is a perennial, but it is mainly grown as an annual and then simply thrown away with the onset of the first frosts.

In late autumn, the petunia can be transplanted into a container with nutritious soil, brought indoors, and provided with additional lighting. This flower will then delight you all year round.

The perennial leaves, varying in shape and size, are untoothed and heavily pubescent. The flowers are regular in shape and can be single, semi-double, or double. They are distinguished by a delicate fragrance and a variety of colors. The plant produces a capsule containing 300-800 small seeds.

This beauty blooms in late June – early July, delighting with its beauty until the onset of significant frost. It easily tolerates short-term temperature drops down to -3 degrees Celsius. Propagation is by seed or cuttings. Seedlings can be grown as early as the third ten days of January, using supplemental lighting.

How to pinch it correctly and why

By developing modern varieties and hybrids, breeders have ensured that gardeners need to exert minimal effort and intervention when shaping the flower crown. However, even when growing modern hybrids, pinching is sometimes essential.

The method is used to:

• stimulate the growth and development of lateral branches;
• ensure abundant flowering;
• to give the bush lushness and compactness.

Apical buds are removed during the seedling's active growth phase, no later than 30-55 days after the first shoots emerge. This can be done with any cutting tool or simply with your fingers. The shoot is cut above the fourth or fifth true leaf.

A new growth point is created at the site of the plant's fracture, from which secondary stems will emerge. After this procedure, the seedling's development slows for a while. However, within a few days, it fully recovers and begins growing more vigorously.

After the pinching process, the lower part of the plant becomes very strong. This makes the plant more resilient and able to withstand any natural disasters.

Which varieties are subject to the procedure?

The following plants require mandatory removal of apical buds:

• old varieties that are not particularly decorative;
• plants grown from seeds that were collected independently.

Most hybrids developed by original breeders don't require pinching, being compact and producing profuse blooms. These hybrids don't require pinching at all:

• Limbo F1;
• Mambo F1;
• Aladdin F1;
• Schok Wave F1;
• Ultra F1;
• Frost F1;
• Picobella F1;
• Hulahoop F1;
• Dreams F1;
• Merlin F1;
• Mirade F1.

Time

To ensure that this beauty delights you with luxurious and long-lasting flowering, you need to remove the apical buds three times per season:

1. When the fourth or fifth true leaf forms on the plant, 30-40 days after the first shoots appear.
2. 10-15 days after planting the seedlings in a permanent place in the ground.
3. During active growth of flowers in a permanent location, no later than thirty days after transplantation.

Triple pinching allows the plant to transform into a bright, luxurious bush within a season.

Aftercare

After removing the tops, provide the plant with the necessary fertilizer. A few days after the first pinching, feed the young seedlings with any growth stimulant according to the instructions:

• Endophyte;
• Regoplant;
• Epin;
• Succinic acid;
• Alpha-Nano.

Further fertilizing should be done every 10-15 days with complex mineral fertilizers containing a high percentage of nitrogen. The pinched plant also requires regular watering and loosening of the soil. Failure to provide proper subsequent care for petunias can result in the development of thin, diseased shoots.

Further cuttings

Removed apical shoots are valuable planting material. The remaining cuttings can be used to successfully expand your petunia collection. This is especially true for those hybrids whose seeds are quite expensive.

To get a young bush you need:

1. Leave 1-2 leaves on the cut shoot.
2. Place the cutting in a container with water, adding 2 tablets of crushed activated carbon.
3. When whitish roots appear on the shoot, plant the plant in a container with nutritious soil.
4. After complete rooting, pinch, apply necessary fertilizers and plant in a permanent location.

For different types

Differing in the shape of the bush and the length of the stems, the plant has some peculiarities in the formation of its lush crown.

Ampelous

Plants that have inherited the natural formation of a lush, profusely flowering bush. Many trailing hybrids do not require pinching. However, to fully ensure a well-branched bush, a single removal of apical shoots is necessary when the seedlings are 35-45 days old.

Cascade

A petunia variety that requires at least three pinches throughout the growing season. By removing the plant's apical shoots, you can achieve gorgeous blooms and a vibrantly colored globe shape.

Bushy

Plants of this type are pinched when few lateral branches form. These need to be stimulated by cutting off the central stem and treating it with a growth stimulant.

Terry

Double hybrids rarely require apical shoot removal. Breeders have created compact, luxurious flowers that initially form a luxurious crown during the growing season. Pinching is performed when young seedlings become elongated due to insufficient daylight.

Can you pinch petunias when they bloom?

If the flowers have already begun to bloom profusely, removing the apical shoots can also be done successfully. The key is to remove no more than four shoots from the bush. After this procedure, treat the flowers with any growth stimulant within 24 hours.

What to do with cut shoots

Plucked plant shoots can be rooted, adding new bushes to the flowerbed. To do this:

• treat the cut stems with Kornevin or dip the lower part of the cuttings in wood ash;
• tear off all the leaves on the shoots, leaving 1-2 pieces at the top;
• place the cuttings in a container with distilled water with the addition of activated carbon;
• Plant the tops in open ground, mulch, and cover with a transparent plastic container.

Helpful tips

To create a bush that will delight you with its beauty and continuous flowering, remember the following recommendations:

1. For good growth of vegetative mass, fertilizing with complex fertilizer is necessary once every 7-10 days throughout the season.
2. It is necessary to regularly water and loosen the soil.
3. Remove faded buds and formed seed pods.
4. Preventive treatment against pests with pesticides, against diseases with copper-containing preparations.
5. Perform the pinching procedure with a sterile instrument.