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5 minutes
Pinching a plant is an activity that we can all do in our garden. Learn the secrets of this technique.
Warm days invite you to spend more time outdoors enjoying the garden and the plants, which are beginning to give their first buds. And this is precisely the topic that brings us together in this article, in which we will review everything you need to know about how to clamp a plant.
We anticipate that it is one of the oldest and simplest gardening techniques that exists. The goal is to make the plants grow stronger and more evenly. It is not necessary to have specific tools, but you can practice it with your hands.
Pinching a plant: what does it consist of?
Pinching a plant consists of cut off the end of a branch or stem that is still flexible with your hands. It is done by pinching the top of the plant with the thumb and forefinger to remove the first set of leaves from that stem.
Pinching must be done vigorously and without hesitation to achieve a clean cut.
In general, only the hands are used, but in the case of bonsai You can use scissors or a special gardening tool, as the stems are usually thicker than those of a common plant.
What branches can be pinched? ideal is pinch those branches that are about 15 centimeters long. When you start to pinch the branches, the appearance of the plant changes and becomes more neat and its growth is much more even.
Types of clamps: what are they and what are they used for?
The type of clamping you can do varies depending on the kind of bud you want to remove. You have the following options:
- Upper clamping: If you are looking for the plant to gain volume and become bushier at the top, then this is the one for you. You have to pinch some leaves so that the stems grow from the angles of these and thus branch the plant.
- Side clamping: When executing this type of pinching, the plant will acquire volume on its sides. It is also used to develop a main stem by removing the lateral and base branches.
- Topping clamping: This type is one of those that perhaps you have already been doing without knowing that it was called that. It is about removing dead flowers when they have already withered. To work them correctly you must pinch them under the receptacle of the flower. By not producing seeds, the plant will not be able to reproduce, so it will develop new flowers and its flowering period will be extended.
Why pinch a plant?
There are many reasons why experts recommend pinching plants. On the one hand, the energy of the plant is distributed in such a way that shoots are produced in the lower part of the stem.
In this way, the plant will grow into a bushy clump from below and it will not develop into a long, thin stem with few shoots. In this case, the sap will distribute its nutrients among shorter branches, so they will receive a greater amount of this liquid that is so vital for growth.
By pinching it, the plant redirects its growth sideways instead of upwards.
When the flowers are pinched, the plants generate more of them because, as there are more buds, there will be more quantity and better quality of flowering. As for fruit plants, the main benefit of pinching them is that the sap will concentrate in the fruits and vegetables and not in the leaves.
The ideal is to pinch the plants in the middle of the growing season, that is, from the beginning of spring and throughout the summer. Remember that it is important to pinch only the last leaves that emerged, that is, the newest shoots from the lateral or upper branches.
What plants should be pinched?
Although the benefits of clamping are many, the reality is that not all plants need this practice. Let’s take a closer look:
- Ornamental plants: They are perennial species such as coleus, fuchsias, carnations, chrysanthemums and passionflowers, which can benefit from pinching.
- aromatic: These types of plants need the technique. Like sage, mint, oregano, basil, and thyme.
- Annual plants: petunias and zinnias will completely change their appearance after a while of being pinched.
- Garden plants: the ideal is to eliminate the lateral shoots that are between the central stem and the leaves to push the sap towards the fruit. In the case of tomatoyou have to wait until the end of the season so that no new fruit is produced and the plant can stay strong.
Pinching plants is a renovation for the garden
As we have seen throughout this article, pinching a plant is a very simple task that you can do as a family in this spring time. In this way, you guarantee that your gardens will grow with much more strength and energy.
Bushy bushes, delicious and fleshy fruits and more flowers that last longer are some of the benefits of pinching your plants. We hope you’ll get to work and make the inhabitants of your garden look great.
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