How to pinch a petunia for a lush bloom

Petunia is a gentle beauty, a favorite of flower beds. Petunias of various varieties and shades can be found in city parks, in flower beds of adjoining territories and squares. She gained such popularity for its unpretentious care and beautiful long flowering. However, it is important to learn how to pinch this flower correctly.

How to pinch a petunia so that it blooms gorgeous

This spectacular flower requires proper care. In order for the petunia to form a beautiful bush and please with flawless flowering, it is necessary to pinch the petunia.

Lush bloom of petunia

What is the pinching process

Pinching is the removal of the top of a young shoot. After removing the central stem of petunia, any of its varieties forms a new growth point and after some time begins to grow in different directions. Due to this procedure, more branches appear on the bush and, accordingly, more flowers.

Pinching can be easily done with your hands

What is the use of pinching

If you do not pinch and do not form a young plant, it will give up to 3 stalks, and after a short time after a short flowering, it will lose its beautiful appearance. Soon, an unkempt petunia, under the weight of long stalks, is pressed to the ground and completely loses its aesthetic appearance.

Interesting! The pinching procedure is otherwise called pinching.

Pinching brings visible benefits: the bush grows not in length, but in width, each of the side shoots sprouts flower buds. A pinched bush develops much more beautifully. Pinching is the main condition for lush and abundant flowering, which is why the bushes after pinching so attract attention.

Do all varieties of petunias need to be pinched

There is an opinion that only simple varieties should be pinched, and professional ones should branch out on their own. But after pinching both conventional and hybrid varieties of petunias, the flowerbed looks more magnificent. So, for visual effect, to give impetus to multiple branching, pinch cascade and ampel varieties.

Petunia varieties

It is imperative to pinch if you have such problems:

insufficient illumination, due to which young plants are too stretched;
excessively high temperature;
insufficient area with a large number of seedlings.

For petunias, proper growing care and pinching are essential.

When to do it

Pinching petunias for bushiness should be carried out when 6-7 leaves grow on young seedlings. It is this period that is considered the best for pinching a flower. Correctly performed procedure guarantees a powerful impetus for the growth of young and strong shoots.

If for some reason you miss this moment, then it will be much more difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to achieve a spherical shape from a flower. The plant will begin to actively stretch upward and will quickly lose its decorative shape.

Important! On overgrown bushes, it is impossible to achieve the expected effect of a pick.

How to pinch petunia for abundant flowering

How to feed hydrangea in spring for lush flowering in the garden

Trimming the top of the stem of a young petunia will allow the plant to vigorously move into growth and bloom effectively. You need to pinch the petunia several times. It is important to take into account that the first pinching is the most important, and it is carried out at the seedling stage.

You need to remove shoots not with your hands, but with scissors

Pinching by hand is not recommended, since there is a risk of damaging the integrity of the stem, which in the future can lead to decay and loss of the whole plant. You need to cut off the young stem with scissors, a sharp blade or knife. Adult stems can be removed with a pruner.

The first pinch when growing petunias from seeds

When the young seedlings of petunia have grown up, many have the question of how to pinch the petunia correctly. Pinch the potted plant as early as possible. It is better to start the procedure when the number of leaves is from 4 to 7 pieces. This happens about 2 months after germination.

This procedure is carried out to stimulate the lateral dormant buds on the stem to grow. After correct pinching from the axils of the remaining leaves, new young shoots begin to grow up and to the sides. Each pruning is carried out not only for the formation of a bush, but also for abundant flowering. It is advisable to do this at least once a month.

Advice! If necessary, the "pinching" procedure is carried out several times in order to achieve the required density of the bush.

What to do after pinching

After pinching the plant, the young flower actively builds up its green mass, and it needs nutrients for good growth. Therefore, it is necessary to fertilize with fertilizers.

Is it possible to pinch petunia when it blooms

Pinching for a lush and long flowering of petunia is carried out more than once. It is necessary to pinch the plant not only during the formation of a bush, but also during flowering.

If the neat shape of an adult petunia bush begins to lose its neat shape, it is necessary to cut the side shoots again. And the plant will again direct all its forces to flowering, releasing new flower buds.

Pinching a blooming petunia

How to form a petunia so that it bush smartly

It is necessary to form a young plant so that it bush chicly, it is necessary on time. You cannot postpone the operation until later and cut off half of the young bush at once. Instead of growing, the plant will hurt for a long time from such a careless approach, or it may even die. Therefore, in one approach, you cannot remove more than one fifth of the green mass of the entire bush of a young plant.

Features of the formation of different types of petunias

There are four most popular types of petunias: ampelous, bush, cascading, terry. The principle and features of the formation of each type are different.

Ampelnaya

Geranium - Pruning for lush bloom to bloom and be fluffy

This type is popular when landscaping streets in hanging pots and balconies. Petunia of ampelous varieties grows long, flowing shoots. Due to the stems creeping on the ground, it is not popular in flower beds.

Ampel varieties are pinned so that they actively grow side shoots. The step-by-step formation scheme is different, the rule of the "third pair" of leaves does not fit this type of petunia.

Important! The central stem of the plant is pinched when its length reaches 10 cm. Otherwise, the middle of the bush will look empty.

Cascade

Hybrid varieties and varieties belonging to this category bush themselves and grow shoots in all directions up to 70 cm long. In some, lateral shoots can even reach 1 meter.

How to form a petunia: pinching is carried out if the variety is growing too quickly, and it is too early to transplant it to a permanent place.However, among flower growers, the opinion was formed that any hybrid varieties should be pinched. After pinching, they look much more impressive.

Bush

Most spray petunias do not require pinching. Pinching is carried out if there are few lateral shoots and it needs to be "incited". If the central stem has grown too up, it is also pinched.

Terry

Experienced flower growers advise you to pinch the shoots of terry petunia. Then the bushes form a lot of buds. After the buds have dissolved, it is necessary to monitor the plant and pluck the faded flowers in time.

Important! Ampel and cascading varieties in a cold and very rainy summer, pinch, fearing the appearance of fungal diseases due to too thick bush.

What varieties of petunias are pinched

How to plant an ampelous petunia correctly

Pruning petunias to form a bush is necessarily carried out in ordinary varieties, not hybrid ones. They are loved by gardeners not for their unusual color of flowers, but for their delicate sweet aroma. Cascading and ampelous varieties, pinch for lush flowering. And an ordinary bush without pinching, if not pinched, will turn out to be shapeless and even clumsy.

Important! Hybrid varieties usually strive for beautiful shapes themselves, but after pinching they look curly and lush.

What is the length of the shoot to carry out pinching

In 50-60 days after germination, the length of young seedlings usually reaches 7-10 cm. By this time, 3 pairs of leaves have already grown on the plant. To make the correct pinching, both for the formation of a bush and for abundant flowering, it is necessary to pinch off the top of the shoot. Above the topmost leaflet, do not cut off the growth point with sharp scissors. It is impossible to pick off the plant so as not to injure the delicate stem.

The second pinching procedure is carried out about a month later. At this time, lateral shoots grow, so they are already carefully pinched.

Important! Pinching must be carried out in the upper part of the shoots so as not to touch the already formed buds.

Petunia with side shoots

How to pinch a petunia to be a hat

After planting the petunia in a permanent place when it takes root well. At this time, the third pinching is carried out. Each of the shoots is shortened over about 5 or 6 leaves. It is advisable to powder the cut with wood ash or activated carbon powder so that infection does not get into it.

After the last pinching, growth will slow down, but the plant, on the contrary, will gain strength and be stronger. The result is a fluffy hat.

Is it possible to pinch petunia when it blooms

Blooming petunia is also pinched to form a beautiful bush. If a young plant is purchased on the market, then it is first examined, all wilted flowers are removed, always with a receptacle.

The procedure is simple enough. Doubts can arise only in the question of how to pinch a petunia if the stem is too long. In this case, pinch it, leaving 3 pairs of leaves. For a while, flowering will slow down, but soon a large number of flowers will bloom on the newly formed branches.

Important! On a flowering plant, you can cut 2-3 shoots at a time. After pinching the bush, you need to feed it with fertilizer.

Caring for flowers after the pinching procedure

Petunia needs care, but her cultivation and pinching does not require special skills - the gardener will only need patience and attention. After pinching, it is necessary to provide the plant with additional nutrition and proper care in a timely manner.

In addition to feeding the flower with fertilizers, you need to organize proper watering. In the summertime, the branches are watered twice in the morning, when the scorching sun has not yet risen. And then - in the evening, when the heat of the sun dies down a little.

After pinching a petunia, the plant grows lateral shoots twice as fast, spending a lot of nutrients on it. To replenish their supply, the flower is fed. Florists recommend sprinkling the flower with succinic acid after pinching.And fertilize with complex mineral fertilizers.

To replenish the stock of micro- and macroelements, the following drugs are suitable:

complex products with the inscription "For petunia";
nitroammophoska;
succinic acid;
complex fertilizers "For flowering plants".

If you do not feed the flower after pinching, the new side shoots will be weak, and the expected result will not work.

For a complex effect, you can also use home fertilizers:

Infused water on fresh banana peels. This water is rich in potassium and nitrogen, which allows you to build good leaf mass.
Ash. Sprinkle the plant at the roots with it.
Chicken droppings are insisted and diluted, the plant is watered with this solution. After such fertilization, the flower will bloom well.
Compressed yeast. This requires only 50 g of yeast per bucket of warm water. After stirring the solution well, it is left to infuse for 3-4 hours. The resulting solution is diluted in the following ratio: a half-liter can of solution in a bucket of warm water - and the bushes are watered.

After proper feeding, the plants quickly build up the green mass, and the root system also grows quickly. However, it is important to keep in mind that it is better not to water these flowers with cold water.

Important! All fertilizers are applied to moist soil, otherwise the root system can be damaged.

What to do with cuttings after pruning

Plucked cuttings from mother bushes convey all varietal characteristics. With their help, you can additionally multiply expensive varieties. The pinched off shoots will grow up and with good care, like the rest of the bushes, they can form abundant flowering with a cap.

A petunia stalk that has taken root in the ground

The cut stalk is cleaned of the lower leaves and placed in water for rooting. After 10 days, the plant begins to sprout roots, and then it is planted in a loose substrate of nutrient soil and a baking powder, such as sand or vermiculite.

The remote shoot can be planted directly into the substrate. For better and faster rooting, use "Kornevin". The stalk is treated with a stimulant, then planted in loose soil and lightly watered.

Petunia is a beauty, with good and attentive care, she is not at all capricious. Observing a simple care guide, it is very easy to achieve lush flowering with a hat!