With their trumpet - shaped prime in tint of pinkish , purplish , white and more , petunias are a darling strong weather annual . To keep them calculate their best all season , see how and when to abstract them is important .
Why Pinch Petunias
Pinching petunias serve well multiple purposes
Encourages ramify and a bushy shape . Petunias incline to grow tall and leggy without pinching .
Promotes more blooms by stimulating axillary bud growth

Controls height , keeping plants full and compact .
Removes spent prime to prolong unfolding .
maintain a respectable , attractive facial expression .
When to Pinch
metre pinch properly for best solution :
top back tips of youthful seedling when graft to advance bushiness from the start .
squeeze established plants every 7 - 10 days during peak raise time of year .
Remove spend bloom anytime to further young buds .
Cut back leggy stems midway to squeeze Modern growing .
Stop pinch 6 weeks before expected first icing so works can prepare .
How to Pinch Petunias
Pinching Petunia is unsubdivided :
Use Your Fingers
Locate the top 2 Set of leaves on a stem .
Grasp the theme just above the 2nd Seth of leafage .
expend your thumb and index to pinch and get rid of the legal tender tip .
Use Hand Clippers
Position blades 1/4 inch above a leaf node .
crop off the tender tip .
Take care not to damage leaves below the cutting .
Remove Spent Blooms
older , faded flowers should be lift off readily .
Pinch blossom at their Qaeda , where they meet the fore .
forefend result bare , unsightly stems .
Pinching Tips
Pinch stems on actively produce plants only . Avoid pinching when plants are stressed .
Always pinch above folio nodes to avoid dieback .
Discard pinched tips – do n’t leave them around plants .
Spread squeeze out over weeks for a natural look .
Pruning shear can be used to pinch back thickset , woody staunch .
Pinching Leggy Stems
Letting stem get too prospicient and lanky ruins the shapely , mound form of petunias . Here ’s how to correct legginess :
Use hand shears to abridge each leggy stanch back by half its length .
Make cuts just above a set of leaves to preserve some foliage .
This severe pinching triggers fresh growth and flowering .
Bushy , thick new stems will emerge and hide the deletion stub .
Resume regular pinching of tips once new growth appear .
Pinching Potted Petunias
Container - grown petunias often need more frequent pinching to see size and shape in their confined space .
Check heap every 5 - 7 days for swipe needs .
contract back wayward stems straying outside the deal silhouette .
Pinch crowded in - face stem to open up sum space .
Remove drop rosiness promptly before they organise seeds .
Reduce water and fertilizer after pinching to avoid overly lush regrowth .
When to Stop Pinching
Discontinue pilfer in late summertime so flora can temper off for winter :
cease pinching 6 - 8 weeks before your fair first dip frost date .
Allow time for tender new growth to mature and prepare for dormancy .
Pruning too late may remove cold - protective leafage or delay bud Seth .
Let plant naturally decline as daylight minute decrease in autumn .
Pinching for Shapely Petunias
Learning right pinching technique is easy and pays off in full , neater petunia works blanketed with coloured efflorescence . Just a little routine pinching encourages the bushy habit and flowered display you require from these classical bedding annuals .
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Pruning your petunia help their flowers stay healthy and flower for longer . Once a workweek , take out any brown , shriveled , or beat flowers with your finger’s breadth or garden shears . If you see any flowers that have fallen to the soil , remove these too . You should also trim any limp stems to about half their distance . If you find any damage fore , cut these to about 2 inches from their base . Cutting off about a third of your petunias every other week will help them grow young I if you have a big craw . For more tip from our Gardening co - author , include how often to fertilize and irrigate your petunias , take on ! .
Trimming Petunias // Garden Answer
How do you Deadhead petunia ?
There are several ways to deadhead Petunia , include hand pinching and shearing . Pruning them every few workweek , or at mid - summer , will help them to fill out and bloom longer . curb what type of Petunia you are uprise . Find the seeds or the plant mark .
How do you squeeze a Petunia flora ?
How do you abridge back a Petunia ?
Cut above a leafage thickening at about half the distance of the stem . For big plants & hanging baskets : Pinch back genus Petunia as many as 8 to 10 stems at a meter . Likewise , trim petunias in half on these stems , right above a foliage node . carry stems between your digit and pollex to stabilize them .
Where should I twitch back a Petunia ?
Where you want to pinch back or veer with shears is right above the first set of leave of absence . The understanding pinching back is so efficacious lies in how genus Petunia turn . By removing the top of the plant , you ’re boost it to rise more sideway than upwards , which go to a shaggy , fuller flora . More stem mean more flower , and who does n’t need that ?