Petunia is one of the most common ornamental annual plants decorating city flower beds and summer cottages. It is unpretentious, has a beautiful, varied color, emits a pleasant aroma, and is ideal for planting on borders, in pots and hanging structures. To stimulate lush flowering, old flowers are removed by pruning - this slows down the appearance of seeds and stimulates the appearance of fresh buds.
Determining the time of the first pinching (pinching)
When the plant forms the first 5-6 leaves, you can do the first pinching. This strengthens the root system, forcing the petunia to form a neat bush, and not spread out in long, unstable stems.
Procedure:
- 4-5 leaves are counted from the root and the upper part of the plant is cut at a right angle;
- the cut is immediately sprinkled with activated carbon or ash (wood); You can also additionally spray with Zircon or Epin;
- feed.
Repeated pinching should be carried out no earlier than after a month. Both main and side shoots are pinched.
Determining the need for pinching during flowering
All varieties of petunias need pinching:
- ampelous;
- terry;
- cascade;
- bush.
Most often, pinching is required for hanging varieties.
You need to carefully monitor the flowering bush.If flowers appear that begin to deviate downwards from their original vertical tubular shape, then it is time to pinch them.
Determining the number of pinching procedures
The first pinching is mandatory. All following removals are carried out at the request of the gardener. The more carefully aging flowers are removed, the longer and more magnificently the entire bush will bloom.
Pinching with fingers and pruning shears
A flower that begins to fade can be removed manually. To do this, use your thumb and forefinger to pinch off the stem immediately behind the flower.
Flowers can also be removed with disinfected pruning shears, regular scissors or a utility knife, cutting off the stem just behind the fading flower.
To form a beautiful, lushly flowering bush, you need to regularly look for aging flowers and trim them. This stimulates additional flowering, inhibits seed formation and helps prevent the plant from losing its shape.
When planting, you can cut off the top a couple of centimeters to encourage abundant branching, giving a compact appearance and abundant flowering.
