Pinching back?

I need to learn how and when to pinch back plants I'm growing from seeds. Do most plants that normally branch out benefit from pinching back?

Deborah

It depends on what it is you're growing. Tell us what seeds you planted and we can help you.

These are my winter sown seeds that have germinated so far. They are still seedlings without true leaves yet. A few are vines so I don't know if they would need pinching.
Agastache foeniculum (don't pinch)
Apocynum cannabinum
Aristolochia fimbriata
Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias physocarpa
Aster pilosus
Baptisia australis (don't pinch)
Berlandiera lyrata
Cacalia suaveolens
Calendula officinalis
Castilleja coccinea
Centrosema virginianum
Coreopsis lanceolata (don't pinch)
Coreopsis tinctoria
Coreopsis verticillata
Echinacea angustifolia
Echinacea pallida
Echinacea purpurea
Echinops ritro
Gaillardia aristata
Helenium autumnal
Heliopsis helianthoides
Ipomopsis rubra (don't pinch)
Liatris ligulistylis (don't pinch)
Liatris scariosa (don't pinch)
Limnanthes douglasii
Nipponanthemum nipponicum
Ophiopogon planiscapus (don't pinch)
Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum
Penstemon digitalis
Plantago lanceolata
Ratibida pinnata
Rudbeckia hirta
Rudbeckia laciniata
Rudbeckia triloba
Ruta graveolens
Scutellaria resinosa
Silene regia
Solidago canadensis
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense
Symphyotrichum puniceum
Tithonia rotundifolia
Verbena hastata
Vigna luteola

Thanks for any advice and instructions on how and when to pinch.

Deborah





This message was edited Mar 12, 2008 10:15 AM

This message was edited Mar 12, 2008 10:16 AM

lol! so many. I haven't a clue as to why you would pinch them, but if i had that many and had to pinch them i think i would just set them out as a snack tray for the bunnies or deer to pinch.

Many of the plants you listed I have never grown, so I can't comment on a lot of them.

Many things you listed are perennials, and as such, wouldn't necessarily need to be piched to make them bushier or to encourage lateral growth, since a large number of perennials grow that way naturally.

Most annuals can be piched to get fuller, more branching plants, and more flower production.

Whenever I have grown vines from seeds, I have always piched them when they get at least two or three sets of leaves. This causes them to have multiple leaders and will thus fill in faster and cover a wider area...IF that's what you want.

There's really no hard and fast "rule" about piching. Some people do, some don't.

That list does seem like a lot of plants. But when I look out at my three acres of grass, I envision many gardens this year. I don't have bunnies, only trampling dogs. LOL

I'm glad you told me about the perennials vs. annuals regarding which needed pinching the most. And espcially the vines. I do want them to run in several directions to cover a fence. I haven't really started sowing my annuals yet. I'll have many zinnias for sure. I didn't pinch my zinnias last year which grew too tall and leaned over. Maybe if I had of pinched them at some point, they would have looked nicer.
So I should wait until my annuals put on their 2nd or 3rd set of true leaves?

Thank you Len. and Jasper.

Here are some that I've grown which I don't think you need to pinch:
Agastache, Baptisia, Coreopsis (at least lanceolata), Ipomopsis, Liatris, and Ophiopogon.

I updated my list to notate these not to be pinched. Thanks!

when do you pinch annuals? is it after they get 2 or 3 sets of leafs?
(I'm learning too! lol)