No not stealing! pinching is a technique of cutting back a flower to encourage it to bush out and create more stems, which equals more flowers. Pinching is most often done on flowering annuals with branching forms.
Here are some flowers that benefit from pinching:
- Ageratum
- Amaranth
- Anemone
- Basil
- Calendula
- Carnation
- Celosia (plume varieties)
- Cosmos
- Dahlia
- Gomphrena
- Marigold
- Phlox
- Snapdragons
- Strawflower
- Sweet peas
- Sunflowers (branching varieties)
- Zinnias
However, pinching is best done on flowers that produce flowers on multiple stems. Don’t pinch stems on types that produce only one flower per plant, such as single-stemmed sunflowers and Bombay celosia. Other flower varieties tend to “rosette” and may not grow tall if pinched. These flowers include statice, Canterbury bells, and lisianthus. Some flowers produce multiple stems naturally and do not need pinching. These flowers include scabiosa, forget-me-not, foxglove, Dara, delphinium, and ranunculus.
Not sure how to pinch, it’s easy check out the short video for a demo.
Happy pinching …..