Good afternoon, my reader. The refined beauty and unpretentiousness of petunias have long been to the taste of flower growers. Neat bushes are used in the formation of flower beds and planted in pots.
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To form the correct shape of plants and lush flowering, use the pinching method. The essence of the method is to remove the tops of the stems to stimulate the appearance of lateral processes. For ampelous varieties of petunias, this procedure is required. This is the only way to form a bush from shoots growing from one point.
When pinching is done
As a rule, petunias are grown by forcing seedlings. To carry out pinching, it is necessary to let the seedlings grow and get stronger. Several buds should appear on the stem to form lateral shoots. Pinch young plants after blooming 5-6 true leaves.
The side shoots will begin to grow back 7-10 days after the procedure. In this regard, pinching should be carried out depending on the time the seedlings are planted in the ground. Plants are pruned so that new shoots are formed before transplanting, or the procedure is carried out after rooting the seedling in a permanent place.
Equipment and materials
To carry out pinching, you will need a simple toolkit:
- pointed scissors
- container for cut stems
For trimming, use nail scissors, a paint knife, or simply peel off the sheet with your fingers. The top is cut off, departing 0.5-1 cm from the base of the top leaf.
The necessary conditions
- Pinching is carried out only on strong and healthy seedlings. Underdevelopment of plants may indicate malnutrition or infection. A weakened root system will not be able to support the formation of strong shoots. It is required to eliminate the reasons that interfere with the growth of seedlings, and to prune when they get stronger.
- If already grown seedlings were purchased, then you should not leave flowers and buds growing on a single stem. The flower is used to demonstrate the variety to the buyer. Purchased seedlings are pinched in the usual way, also removing flowers and buds, if any. Pinching will stimulate the regrowth of lateral shoots and the formation of the desired bush shape.
- After the lateral branches grow by 7-10 cm, the pinching procedure is also carried out with them. Lateral shoots will grow and form a lush bush in 2-3 weeks. In the future, by pruning, you can maintain the desired shape of the plant. Removed sturdy shoots can be rooted in water or damp soil and planted.
- If the seedlings of petunia are ampelous varieties, then it is recommended to pinch them regardless of the number of leaves. Pinching is necessary as soon as the stems reach 10-12 cm. If the seedlings have not reached the required height, then after the procedure they will give cascading shoots. Such a bush will not grow upward. Saplings of ampelous varieties grow more than bushy ones. This technique makes it possible to get both straight and flowing shoots and form a chic shape of the bushes.
Care after pruning
After pinching, the plants will grow a large number of new shoots. For the correct formation of stems and flowers, additional feeding is required. When young shoots appear, it is recommended to apply fertilizers: Fertika, Kemira-Lux, Agricola-Aqua, etc. Plants are fed not only in pots and flowerpots, but also in flower beds. Do not forget about timely watering.
Do you pinch petunias?
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