How to properly pinch petunia for abundant flowering: step by step with photos and videos

Petunia is called the queen of the flowering garden. From early spring to late autumn, spreading colorful bushes decorate gardens, balconies and terraces. To ensure that the seedlings are lush and live as long as possible, the plant is irrigated abundantly and fertilized on time. By regularly shortening the growing point, a long-flowering rounded bush is obtained from a small shoot. The procedure seems simple, but novice gardeners often make mistakes. If you know when and how to pinch petunia correctly, the crop will turn your garden into an original blooming corner.

Features of the procedure

Pinching (pinching) the central stem is a mandatory operation, which is carried out for abundant flowering and the formation of a strong root system of seedlings. Pruning stimulates the formation of side shoots with flower buds. The bush begins to grow in width. 2 weeks after pinching, the first buds appear. Tweezing is performed with a previously disinfected instrument (sharp stationery knife, pruning shears or nail scissors). You can break off the tip of the branch with your fingers if your hands are washed clean.

Reference! It is necessary to remove fading petals along with the receptacles in time, otherwise a seed pod will begin to form where the pollinated flower was. This will take away the strength of the seedling, slow down stem formation, and reduce the quality of flowering.

Why is the growth point removed?

Pinching is shortening the tip of the stem. After manipulation, the nutrients are concentrated in a smaller volume of foliage and greenery, therefore the state of the plantings changes:

branches thicken;
axillary shoots appear;
the elasticity and brightness of sheet plates increases;
dormant buds are activated.

Sometimes pinching is done to save plantings from premature withering and depletion. The shoots planted in a cramped container lack water, nutrition and light. In search of resources, they begin to compete with each other and stretch out. Seedlings grown in a hot room have foliage withering and vines thinning. Trimming the ends will make the seedlings fluffier and stronger.

Additional Information! If the shoots are not shortened in time, the petunia will grow 1 to 4 long stems. Several flowers will appear on each, under the weight of which they will fall. The seedling will quickly lose its decorative effect. Pinching will give a strong bush with a powerful root system.

When to trim the stems

In order for the crop to bloom for a long time, choose the right time for pruning:

The first time a petunia with five formed leaves is pinched is 1.5 months after seed germination or 1.5 weeks after seedlings are planted, when the height of the stems reaches 10 cm. At this time, the seedling begins to actively vegetate. 1.5 - 2 weeks after circumcision, it will regain strength and continue to grow rapidly.
The second manipulation is carried out 27–29 days after the seedlings are planted in a permanent area, when their height increases to 15 cm. Shortening the regrown branches will cause the growth of new branches with flower buds. If repeated pinching is carried out earlier, planting will slow down development for a long time and delay the formation of ovaries.
If they want to increase the number of buds, after 20 days they carry out another pinching. By this time, they already have time to transplant the petunia into open ground or flowerpots. Pinching is done 5 - 7 days after transplantation so that the plant has time to adapt. 6 leaves are left on grown branches.

The first two procedures are mandatory; the need for the third is judged by the condition of the seedlings. A break is taken between prunings so that the seedlings can recover and continue development.

Reference! If you sow the seeds early (in the southern regions - at the end of January - early February, in the middle zone - at the end of February), you can have time to do up to five pinchings.

Which varieties are tweezed?

Petunia obtained from “domestic” seeds is always pinched. Pinching and fertilizing make the plantings stronger and more beautiful. New varieties have been developed that do not require pruning. With careful care, hybrids form profusely flowering bushes without additional pruning. Plantings of any variety become more bushy after the operation. Typically, old varieties are pinched several times during the growing season. It is enough to prune new hybrids once to create a spectacular spherical plant.

Is it possible to pinch during flowering?

If you are late with the first pinching, the first ovaries may appear on the young seedling already at home. This will slow down the growth of the root system. To help the bush grow roots and become stronger, the ovaries or opened petals are pinched off.

Trim the flowering planting if the vines become thin and elongated. A maximum of 3 nodes are left on the overgrown central stem. Massive regrowth of flowers will resume after 15–20 days, and the decorative appearance of the bush will increase. Flowering plantings are pinched in 2–3 steps to restore the uniformity of shoot growth.

How to properly pinch bush petunia for abundant flowering

Bush petunia in adulthood should be a compact, low bush with many relatively short stems (on average 20-30 cm).

To make it look exactly like this, make a pinch. You may need several of them.

First pinch. On the central stem of the petunia, count 4-6 true leaves and pinch off (cut off) the top. After this, axillary side shoots will begin to grow on the stem below the pinching point, which will create a branched bush.

Pinching (trimming) the crown of a petunia using scissors
Second pinching. When the side shoots grow about 6 leaves, they can also be pinched for greater bushiness.
Third and subsequent pinches. You can pinch the petunia several more times until a lush bush forms.

The first pinching is mandatory for most bush petunias (except for those varieties that are genetically programmed for branching - we wrote about them above). The second and subsequent ones are needed only if the grower wants to make the plant thicker.

After pinching, the bush petunia should look like this: dense, knitted, with many shoots

Note!

Each pinching of petunia delays flowering by 2 weeks, so you shouldn’t get too carried away with pruning. Finish the last pinching 2 weeks before your desired flowering date.

Pinching technique

It is advisable for novice gardeners to learn how to properly pinch petunia so that it resembles a large ball covered with bright flowers. Pinching is performed step by step as follows:

Disinfect the instrument and wash your hands thoroughly.
Select sections of lashes to be shortened. Imagine how the pruned bush will grow.
The growth point is cut off at an acute angle, trying not to leave burrs. 4–5 internodes are left on the main stem, 3/5 of the stem is left on the lateral ones.
The cut tops are placed in Kornevin’s solution or immersed in a soil mixture for rooting.
The cut areas are dusted with crushed coal.

After the manipulations, the mother liquor is watered with lukewarm water and fed.

For which petunias is pinching necessary and when can you do without it?

If petunia seedlings grow as a squat, well-branched bush and you like its splendor, then you can do without pinching.

The photo below shows just such a seedling:

Petunia is growing as a squat bush, the stepsons have already hatched. If such growth continues, the seedlings do not need to be pinched.

Unfortunately, in most cases, seedlings are far from ideal. For example, it grows in one stem and doesn’t even think about branching. Or, due to lack of lighting, she became very stretched out. Or you just want it to be thicker and guaranteed to grow into a “ball”. In this case, pinching is required.

Petunia has stretched out and does not branch; to correct the situation, it must be pinched

Note!

There are varieties of petunias that are genetically programmed for branching, have short internodes and do not elongate. There is no need to pinch them (of course, if the agricultural cultivation techniques have not been grossly violated). Among such variety series we can highlight: Limbo, Ez Rider, Tanaka, Duvet, Eagle, Plush.

Petunia from the Duvet series grows as a very compact, clustered bush and does not need pinching

How to propagate a crop with cut off tops

Broken stem fragments with 3–4 leaves are good planting material. Under normal home conditions, cuttings are rooted using the following methods:

The cut off crown is placed in a glass or small jar, and a solution of Kornevin or Heteroauxin is poured. A phytohormonal preparation accelerates the appearance of roots. The seedling is removed to a warm place. The liquid is renewed every 2 - 3 days. When roots 0.5–0.7 cm long are formed, the cuttings are planted in the soil.
The tip of the cut shoot is dusted with Kornevin powder and immersed in a moistened soil mixture. Cover with a film on which 3–5 holes are made for air intake; put in a warm room. The shelter is periodically removed to water and ventilate the seedling.
Leaves are broken off from the cut top, leaving the top pair. The cuttings are immersed in damp vermiculite almost to the remaining leaves. Place a perforated plastic bag over the container with the seedling and transfer it to a warm place.

After about 2 weeks, a full-fledged shoot is obtained, the signs of which will coincide with the signs of a two-month-old seedling. You can determine that a cutting has taken root by an increase in its height, the appearance of buds, and the elasticity of the greenery. Bushes obtained from the tops retain the properties of the mother plants, although they bloom 1.5 - 2 weeks later than them.

Additional Information! After planting in the ground or flower pots, grown petunia, so that it bushes beautifully and blooms for a long time, is fed with humic fertilizers. Concentrated solutions combine the properties of biological products, organic and mineral substances. The preparations saturate the soil with nutritional components. Improves survival rate and accelerates stem formation.

Purpose and need for pinching

Pinching petunias is a mandatory annual procedure. It has a number of functions:

improving the formation of lateral trunks;
rapid formation of flowers;
high-quality flowering without large doses of fertilizers;
no stretching of shoots upward to receive more sunlight;
rounded, regular shape of the bush;
formation of a lush, dense bush;
removing faded buds to prevent the development of a seed box, which consumes all the vitality of the plant.

The procedure is beneficial only if performed correctly. It is necessary to carry out everything in clean conditions so that bacteria from the environment do not penetrate into the cut areas.

Pinching to stimulate flowering

Alternative methods for obtaining lush bushes

If a summer resident grows flowers “for himself,” taking care of beautiful plantings does not cause much trouble. If petunia seedlings are grown for sale, caring for hundreds of seedlings can be cumbersome. To simplify the work, gardeners treat petunia with growth regulators for lush flowering:

Epin;
Zircon;
Krezacin;
Narcissist;
Silk.

These drugs stimulate the development of plantings and control physiological processes: they cause the formation of lateral processes and reduce the risk of stretching.

Petunia cuttings after pruning

You should not throw away cut petunia branches - you can grow new plants from them, which will significantly increase the number of seedlings.

For rooting, it is advisable to use shoots from the second pruning with 4-5 leaves and a strong stem. The cuttings are placed in a vessel with water, tearing off a couple of lower leaves. Very soon roots will form on the stem, after which new petunia seedlings are planted in loose and nutritious soil.

On a note. Cuttings taken from a hybrid petunia specimen fully retain the decorative qualities of the mother plant.

The flowering of such petunia will come a little later, but will be just as luxurious and chic.

How to care for seedlings after pinching

Shortening the stems injures the tissues and delays flowering by 2.5 weeks. In order for the seedlings to regain their strength, follow the rules of care:

Immediately after pinching, the plants are watered. When caring, follow the watering regime. Do not allow fluid to stagnate in the root area. On hot days, plantings are irrigated twice - early in the morning and in the afternoon.
They are fed with mineral fertilizer, which is dissolved strictly according to the instructions and applied to moist soil. The crop can be fed with Osmokot or Zion, which have a prolonged effect. These substances are added to the soil once during planting, but they act intensively throughout the growing season of the seedlings.
The leaves are sprayed with a stimulant solution (Cytodef, Bud, Zircon).
Seed pods and dried buds are removed in a timely manner.

Supportive operations help seedlings cope with stress faster.

Reference! In order for the crop to quickly restore immunity, bush beautifully, and bloom for a long time, it is fertilized with succinic acid. The natural biostimulant acts gently but effectively. In an acidified environment, the culture develops well, absorbs nutrients better, and blooms brightly.

Preparing the sprout for pinching

How to feed petunia for abundant flowering

So, the main reason why it’s time to pluck the stem is its healthy appearance and dynamic growth. To prevent the bush from dying after this procedure, you need to provide it with proper care at the preparatory stage.

Sun protection. Petunia is sensitive to direct sunlight. Seedlings are doubly sensitive. The burned leaves will sooner or later dry out and fall off, and if you leave them below the pinching, it is unlikely that you will get good material for future tillering. New shoots will not appear from the axils of damaged leaves.
Providing lighting. If there is not enough light, the shoot will be drawn towards it, and inexperienced gardeners may confuse this process with the beginning of active growth and pinch it. This entails not only a loss of decorativeness. When correcting errors in care, young shoots will grow to normal thickness, but the main one will be too thin. Over time, it may break under the weight of the entire bush.
Watering is plentiful, but not frequent. Petunia roots are thin and quickly rot when moisture stagnates in the soil.
Humidification gives additional nutrition to the flower through leaves and shoots. Regular spraying is important for proper care.
If the seedlings are growing in the same box, they should be planted at a sufficient distance from each other. If the planting is too dense, the shoots will be dull and elongated, and the seedlings will clog each other. This also applies to further planting in open ground.

What is needed for the procedure:

sharp scissors (manicure or garden);
antiseptic for treating blades;
charcoal or activated carbon (pre-crushed);
a glass for cut cuttings.

Features of pinching different types of petunia

The type of petunia affects the formation of the bush and the number of pinchings.

Bush

The most unpretentious look. The seedlings resemble small trees covered with flowers of the same size and color. The height of compact bushes is no more than 45 cm. The lashes of bush varieties look to the sides or upwards. Pinch off the top of the central stem. After the operation, the seedling grows side branches. If the bush is healthy and looks neat, it is enough to carry out 2 - 3 procedures.

Ampelous petunia

Unlike bush petunias, flowers of this species do not have a main stem. Thin shoots directed downwards grow up to 1.2 - 1.3 m. After pinching, side shoots grow. To prevent the center of the hanging seedling from appearing empty or falling inward, the vines growing in the middle are shortened when they reach 10 cm. After 3 to 5 pinchings, bushes with flowing shoots become especially graceful.

Additional Information! Landscape designers plant ampelous petunia in tall floor vases, hanging flower pots, and multi-tiered flower beds. After pinching, spherical plants with flowers of different sizes and shades look very elegant.

Cascade petunia

The flower first grows upward. The length of thick elastic stems sometimes reaches 1.65 - 1.85 m under the weight of greenery and buds, so they fall and begin to grow downwards. Pinching stimulates the rapid growth of lashes in width. To make cascading petunia lush, the plant is pinched 4 to 6 times. The first time they simply cut the stem. With repeated procedures, they show imagination and creative abilities. This helps to form spectacular bushes. After pruning, the branching stems will descend from the flower pots in an elegant train.

What is petunia pinching and why is it needed?

Pinching (pinching, pinching) is the removal of the tip of a young shoot in order to stimulate branching. The procedure is carried out both on the central stem of the petunia and on the side ones.

After removing the tops, the stems stop growing in length. A powerful release of growth hormone occurs, axillary buds awaken, from which multiple lateral shoots begin to emerge. The plant no longer stretches upward, but begins to grow in width and form a crown in the form of a hemisphere. Simply put, a petunia turns from a single stick into a lush, branched “spider”.

Pinching is necessary for abundant flowering of petunia, as it gives impetus to the formation of many stems on the plant. And the more stems, the more flowers.

Pinching petunia growing in flowerpots and pots

Petunia is often grown in hanging flowerpots and wicker baskets. Bright multi-colored seedlings decorate the recreation area at the dacha, balconies, terraces, and home windowsills. Several bushes are planted in one container to create an original composition. 2 - 3 plants that have survived the first pinching are transplanted into pots. To emphasize the style and elegance of the plantings, the side stems are pinched.

The lashes of cascading and ampelous petunias grow more than 100 cm. If growth is not stopped in time, the bare lower parts of the shoots will rise above the walls of the container, and the plantings will look sloppy. Pinching will prevent this problem. When shortening the lashes, pay attention to the height of the container: the length of the cut stems should not exceed the height of the container.

Additional Information! Do not thicken the plantings. No more than three seedlings are planted in a pot with a diameter of 30–35 cm. After pinching, they will begin to vigorously bush and completely occupy the area. Thickening will cause stretching, the development of diseases, and the spread of insects. Lack of ventilation inside the container is especially dangerous in cool, rainy weather.

Which varieties need the procedure

The need for pinching depends on the type of petunia. Modern hybrid varieties bred by breeders grow well, bloom and bush without additional pinching - the breeders took care of this.

A mark to this effect is indicated on the package of petunia seeds. Most ampelous and cascading varieties grow well and bloom luxuriantly without additional pinching.

Petunias grown from self-collected seeds must be pinched, and most often repeatedly. The need for pinching can be determined by the characteristics of the plant.

The appearance of the bush, the thickness of the shoots and the density of the leaves - only absolutely healthy and actively growing plants can be pinched. Weakened, sick or newly transplanted petunias will not tolerate this procedure, which is a serious stress for any plant.
Age of petunia - if the plant looks strong and healthy, but has not reached the optimal age for pinching (50-55 days from planting), the procedure should be postponed.
The height of the sprout - if it quickly stretches upward, its stem becomes dense and thick, but the green mass grows very slowly, pinching the plant is simply necessary. Without this procedure, flowering will be sparse and sporadic.

The plant must be pinched when growing petunias in conditions of insufficient light, elevated air temperatures, or placing a large number of seedlings in a small area.

Possible mistakes of novice gardeners

Trying to turn a bush into a lush ball, novice gardeners make common mistakes.

Pinch out a weakened or immature plant. Before pinching the shoots, the seedling is inspected. A frail flower conserves internal resources and will not direct efforts to the formation of new shoots. Manipulations can cause deterioration and death of plantings. For abundant and long-lasting flowering and beautiful branching, petunia is prepared in advance: the feeding regime is followed, it is well lit, and watered correctly. A bush that has been properly cared for will get stronger, tolerate the procedure well, and become lush.
By working with blunt instruments, the grower can compress the vessels in the plant tissues. Trauma often causes the death of the seedling.
A fragment that is too long is cut off. The length of the cut part should not exceed the height of the planting. You should remove no more than 1/3 of the stem.
After the procedure, they are fed with nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrogen causes increased growth of green mass. To increase the number of buds and extend the flowering period, potassium-phosphorus preparations are added.
You can't rush through the procedure. If the seedlings have less than five leaves, the operation will weaken the bush.
If your petunia has outgrown, don't worry. The seedling is pinched above the fifth leaf. Even the first opened bud is removed: large flowers will appear in its place.

Reference! Before the procedure, scissors or a knife are washed with warm water and laundry soap, thoroughly rinsed with running water and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. An untreated tool can cause a plant infection. The sections are dusted with charcoal powder to prevent the occurrence of diseases.

Forming a petunia crown brings joy to the gardener. Pinching helps turn a nondescript seedling with thin shoots into a well-groomed flowering bush. To get spherical bushes densely covered with bright “gramophones”, you should not give up pinching. But you can’t often shorten the shoots: repeated pruning depletes the mother plant and reduces decorativeness. To learn how to prune petunia correctly, you can watch the video.

Two in one: pinching + cuttings

By the way, it is not at all necessary to walk around the seedlings in circles and wait for 4-6 leaves to be pinched. The manipulation can be done later (but not earlier!), when the petunia grows solid shoots. For what? To cut off these excess shoots and use them as cuttings to propagate the variety you like.

How to root petunia cuttings after pinching (trimming)? Easily! To do this, do the following:

Cut a stalk 5-10 cm long from the petunia.
Tear off its lower leaves so that they do not rot when immersed in water or soil. It is enough to leave 1-3 cm of bare stem with two internodes at the bottom.
If there is a bud on the top of the head, you will also have to cut it off. Otherwise, the nascent flower will draw all the forces of the stem onto itself, and the roots will never form.
Place the cutting in water and wait for roots to appear. When the root system appears, plant the cuttings in a separate pot.
You can immediately root the cuttings in the ground, bypassing getting roots in water. For this:
Prepare a glass of soil and make a small funnel in the middle.
Bury the lower part of the cutting (without leaves) into the soil.
Place the pot with the cutting in an improvised “greenhouse”, that is, cover the planting container with a plastic glass or jar. You can also place the glass with the cutting in a larger container (pot, plastic cake lid, etc.) and cover it with film on top. You will get a wonderful “greenhouse”.
Every day, open the film (remove the jar, glass) and ventilate the “greenhouse”.
After 10-15 days, the petunia cuttings should take root. This will be indicated by the appearance of new shoots from the sinuses.

The roots of a rooted petunia cutting are already visible through the transparent walls of the glass.

Dates and rules

During the season, petunia is shortened more than once, since the period of active growth lasts until autumn. Regular pruning helps maintain the decorative appearance of the bush and the abundance of flowering. The timing is chosen according to the stage of development:

The seedlings are pinched for the first time when 4-6 true leaves have formed. This happens approximately 10-12 days after the dive - the seedling has already taken root and adapted to the new place. The procedure gives impetus to the growth of new shoots, the collection of green mass, and the formation of flower buds. An increase in the volume of greenery, in turn, strengthens the root system, which facilitates rapid adaptation after transplanting into the ground. If the moment is missed, the stems will stretch excessively and it will be difficult to form a beautiful bush.
After 20-28 days, not only the main stem is shortened, but also all the side shoots that have grown by 10 cm or more - third-order sprouts will appear on them.
In the future, to maintain the shape of the bush, the stems are cut as needed once a month, but no more than three times per season, since pinching delays the onset of flowering.
During the season, faded flowers are plucked off so that the plant does not waste energy on the formation and ripening of seeds.

TOP 5 most unpretentious country flowers that bloom all summer

To ensure that the procedure does not cause harm, you must not only adhere to the deadlines, but also follow the rules for its implementation - then the stress will be minimal, and the petunia will quickly recover. It is better not to touch a weak bush, but wait until it gets stronger. If you delay pruning, removing most of the young bush will lead to its weakening or death.

On a note! How to plant petunia with cuttings

How to pinch correctly:

treat the tools used for pruning (small scissors, knife) with a solution of manganese or alcohol, chlorhexidine;
count four leaves from the bottom, cut off the rest of the stem;
make the cut at a right angle - the shoots will not grow upward, but to the sides, and flower buds will form on them;
Sprinkle the cut area with coal powder, ash, and baby powder.

Petunia common varieties

This specimen tolerates the heat with a bang, but from the cold it withers and slows down its growth and stops blooming.

When choosing a variety, there is room to roam - more than eight hundred names with subspecies:

ampelous (creeping, very unpretentious and beautiful);
large-flowered (bush, exquisite and difficult to care for);
multi-flowered (with well-aimed inflorescences, least afraid of drafts);
floribunda;
dwarf (short).

The larger and more spectacular the flowers of a plant, the more difficult they are to grow:

floribunda and bush petunia are very capricious and require constant attention, temperature control and watering, and they also do not tolerate drafts;
the multi-flowered subspecies will perfectly decorate your flowerbed or front garden;
ampelous petunia, which, by the way, also needs to be pinched, is surprisingly multi-colored and bright; for this nightshade there are practically no boundaries in color: from white, hot pink, purple, to yellow, speckled, bicolor and striped.

To achieve the maximum aesthetic effect and continue the period of flowering and growth, it is necessary to pinch petunias in a timely manner. This process is very important when growing, which is why you need to know how to pinch petunia and exactly when to do it. This is exactly what we will talk about.

The need for pinching petunias

Many people ask: is pinching petunias necessary at all, or can you do without it? If you want to grow a full-fledged specimen, this procedure cannot be avoided. Judge for yourself: the logic of the growth of any plant is such that if the side shoots are not trimmed in time, it will certainly go into the stem. This will lead to the fact that there will be almost no flowers left, but we will get a crooked pancake stick that collapses under the weight of the inflorescences.

Trimming side shoots will help create a lush, beautiful flowering bush and propagate the plant. Each pinching will produce a new bud. Don't be afraid, the treated shoots will bloom even more beautifully and thickly, stimulating the appearance of new flowers.

For this, there are a lot of instructions and tips with videos on the Internet, specialized literature with illustrations.

You should familiarize yourself with the basic rules and methods of professional pinching so as not to damage the plant.

Here are some recipes:

First rule. Correctly chosen time for the procedure. The first pinching occurs after planting the sprouts in open ground. Wait some time for the plant to gain a foothold and adapt to new conditions so as not to injure it. Petunia takes root well if you follow a few subtleties. Plant seedlings not too densely so that there is room for roots to grow. Do not forget about abundant watering (2-3 times a day plus spraying). Four times a month, feed the roots and stems with leaves using a spray bottle and soil fertilizers;
Second rule. Observe the condition of the stem. The time for pruning has come if the flower begins to actively grow upward and strengthen. If this is the case, petunia can be safely processed. We count four leaves from the beginning of the aerial part and pinch off the upper shoot, which pulls the specimen upward. Do not be afraid that flowering will slow down; this is a necessary measure for the formation of side shoots. In just a month you will be able to observe the lush growth and flowering of new buds. The second time we pinch the already blooming petunia, this can and even should be done. Such manipulations will help prolong the period of flowering and growth;
Third rule. The removed shoots will still be useful to you; you can use them to grow new seedlings. It’s very simple - place our stem in water with fertilizers and it will take root. Now we can transplant the new nightshade into the ground, having first removed all the leaves except the top ones, this is one hundred percent productivity.

Little pinching tricks for beginners

Pinching is a delicate and labor-intensive processing process. It should not be confused with pinching, pinching and circumcision

Try to pinch off the shoots; this does not require any additional tools, only observation and caution

Remove damaged or diseased parts of the nightshade in a timely manner, get rid of dry, wilted sectors.

It is easier to work with large-flowered varieties, but small-flowered specimens are less picky about weather conditions, so the choice is yours.

Use reference books to learn about the features of caring for a certain type of flower; some varieties do not like too frequent plucking.

Do not use the operation for seedlings in boxes and young immature shoots, do not mix different varieties and rid the soil of weeds and pests in a timely manner. Remember, petunias, like other ornamental species, need constant attention and care.

Useful tips

To form a bush that will delight you with its beauty and continuous flowering, remember the following recommendations:

For good growth of vegetative mass, fertilizing with complex fertilizer is necessary every 7-10 days throughout the season.
Be sure to regularly water and loosen the soil.
Remove faded buds and formed seed pods.
Preventive treatment against pests with pesticides and against diseases with copper-containing preparations.
Carry out the pinching procedure with a sterile instrument.

Important! For the fastest formation of lateral branches on the plant, you should lower the air temperature at night by 4-6 degrees.

Why does ampelous petunia grow upward?

To prevent the petunia bush from stretching due to lack of light, it must be constantly illuminated with fluorescent or other specialized lamps. It is advisable to provide light around the clock.

At night, the lights should be dimmed. The distance from the lamp to the flower is approximately twenty-five centimeters.

If the temperature is above 25 degrees and there is high humidity, then the seeds grow well. But for a fully formed flower, such a temperature is lethal; it begins to stretch and then die. To solve the problem, place the bush in a cooler place.

It can also stretch out due to the wrong amount of humidity. Very often, novice gardeners, after the plant has sprouted, suddenly open the top cover or film. Doing this is strictly prohibited. It is recommended to reduce the humidity gradually, opening the lid for a short time first.

Fertilizer process

Very dense bushes need to be thinned out or the weakest plants removed. If there are few seedlings, then you need to pick them up. And then keep the temperature to about 18 degrees.

In conclusion, it can be noted that only ampelous and cascading petunias need to be pinched; other varieties of plants live well without constant pruning. You also need to remember that the plant needs quite a lot of space, so it is not recommended to plant it in small pots. Be sure to observe the climate regime for the plant.

Answers on questions

Here you will find frequently asked questions and their answers.

What time to pluck petunia

At the initial stage, this should be done at the stage of growing seedlings - after the appearance of 5-6 leaves. Repeat again in a month, when the plants are stronger.

How many times to pinch

It all depends on the design of the flower bush. If you want a lush and profusely blooming one, then you should pinch it at the discretion of the gardener. But the first time, as stated above, it is necessary to do. This is especially true for petunias of hanging varieties.

Which sheet to pinch on?

When first growing, pinching should be done while the plant's leaf mass is growing. Further and subsequent pruning depends on the gardener himself - how he plans to develop the flower - lush, bushy, branched, and so on.

Pinching must be done at the first 4-5 leaves of the plant.

What types of petunias need to be pinched?

First of all, this applies to ampelous varieties of petunias, which cannot grow into a bush on their own. Next are double and bush flowers. With them you can organize beautiful and neat flower gardens. Cascading modern petunias often do not need pinching.

Useful: How to get rid of weeds on your site.