The Purpose of Pinching?

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cue_chik Palm Coast, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 04, 2010

I've heard of other gardeners doing this with their MG seedlings, but I don't understand why it's done. Does it benefit the plant more than to just allow it to grow normally?

I've just started getting into MG's and wasn't sure if this is something I should be doing or not.

Thanks for any info
-cue

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beckygardener (Becky) in Sebastian, FL(Zone 10a) Jun 05, 2010

Cue - The purpose of pinching is mainly a personal preference in my humble opinion. My experience is that most MGs like to just grow and ramble wherever they can. But some folks either prefer them smaller/shorter for showing or because they have limited space ... so they practice "pinching" their vines. Many of the Japanese Asagao (I. nil) shows display compact vines and blooms because of space constraints. I think that after the show, they plant them in pots or the ground and let them grow as they naturally do.

I was going to try that with a hanging potted MG vine to see if I could get it shorter and bushier, but then I got seeds for Sidare (weeping MG) that hanging downward and I just love it. My goal was to have some MGs in hanging baskets, but now I am crossing cultivars with that one to try to create more bloom/vine variety with the weeping/draping gene. :-) I want MGs in hanging baskets!!! :-) :-)

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cue_chik Palm Coast, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 05, 2010

ooohhhhh the hanging basket thing sounds wonderful and I bet it will be gorgeous as well.. talk about a space saver!

Thanks for the info on pinching. I think I will just let mine grow as they will :)

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MGMan Norfolk, VA Jun 05, 2010

Cue, I let my branches grow to the top of the fence or trellis and I pinch them back. Afterwards, I pinch the branches back every 2-4 weeks, depending on the cultivar. Here is one of my vines via this pinching method. By the way, this is only a single plant of Ipomoea nil!


Tony



This message was edited Jun 5, 2010 12:47 PM

Thumbnail by MGMan
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MGMan Norfolk, VA Jun 05, 2010

Here is the dense trunck of this vine!

Thumbnail by MGMan
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cue_chik Palm Coast, FL(Zone 9a) Jun 05, 2010

oh wow! so did pinching result in the vine becoming more bushy? thats one pretty vine!

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