This Week in the Garden
Boost Your Bloom: How to Pinch Cosmos for
More Flowers!
To boost the blooming of your summer annuals, use a technique called "pinching" or "heading off." This method involves removing the top portion of the plant to promote more branching and an increase in blooms. For example, with cosmos plants, pinching encourages additional branches to form from the main stem. Without pinching, the plant would eventually branch out, but this would take much longer. Pinching speeds up this process, resulting in a fuller and more vibrant plant.
To pinch a plant, locate the nodes, which are the points on the stem where leaves grow. Count up three healthy nodes from the base of the plant and make a cut just above the third node. This cut removes the top portion and stimulates the growth of new branches from the nodes below. For transplanted cosmos, pinching about 10 days after planting will result in significant branching within three to four weeks.
By using this technique, you turn a single primary stem into multiple branches, which lead to more blooms. For example, pinching cosmos plants effectively transforms one stem into several, enhancing the plant’s blooming potential and making your garden more colorful.
Related Videos:
Why is my cosmos not blooming?
Pinching Coleus
Related Resources:
Cosmos
Cosmos in the Garden
To pinch a plant, locate the nodes, which are the points on the stem where leaves grow. Count up three healthy nodes from the base of the plant and make a cut just above the third node. This cut removes the top portion and stimulates the growth of new branches from the nodes below. For transplanted cosmos, pinching about 10 days after planting will result in significant branching within three to four weeks.
By using this technique, you turn a single primary stem into multiple branches, which lead to more blooms. For example, pinching cosmos plants effectively transforms one stem into several, enhancing the plant’s blooming potential and making your garden more colorful.
Related Videos:
Why is my cosmos not blooming?
Pinching Coleus
Related Resources:
Cosmos
Cosmos in the Garden