So far I have learned about pinching back my zinnias to have longer stems, which I knew about marigolds but didn't about zinnias. Each stem can be pinched again when they're six inches long. Seeds of zinnia flowers should usually be sown directly into the sunny flower bed, as developing roots do not like to be disturbed. Plants start out healthy but quickly wilt and discolor. Mixed them with marigolds. Best wishes from south Florida, that is impressive and a great tip thank you. My non-pinched snaps bloomed weeks sooner than the pinched stems, but my pinched plants have triple the amount of stems per plant. Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on News 95.5 FM and AM750 WSB. Joyce Thomas, email. Is there a way to cut them back so they won' t get too tall? She was very different. Healthy looking one. Yodlei44. Share. Great tips on growing zinnias. This will encourage branching. So far, I am really happy with the results of pinching them off while the plants are young. Pinching means literally using your thumbnail and index finger to pinch off the top part of the plant. Subscribe for more gardening videos! I think all of hers were green including her toes. I love bald cypress but they get huge. If this is true in your case, this winter consider tilling in an inch-thick layer of very gritty sand to a depth of 10 inches. Pinch it … Greg Anderson, Loganville. Aim for just slightly above that point. Is there anything else you can suggest? When you are at a garden barbecue you might have a guest ask you if you pinch your sunflowers. Zinnias famously hate root disturbance, so it is best to sow directly into freely drained soil with a fine tilth.Sow two or three seeds 2in (5cm) apart at 12in (30cm) spacing. At the end of the season, leave the final blooms on the plants if you'd like your zinnias to reseed. When you are happy with your plants' shape, stop pinching and let them grow. Is it okay to pinch out the side growths? I have never done cuttings with zinnias myself. They have bright, solitary, daisy-like flowerheads on a single, erect stem, which makes them great for use as a cutting flower or as food for butterflies.. Types of Zinnias It's a pretty daunting job at my age. So when that Zinnia plant was much shorter, did you pinch its central stem? . Zinnias are so easy to germinate (cover with black plastic while germinating) I just did some and they popped in 2 days, so pot a bunch up and start to experiment. Reply. Don't pinch right at the point where the leaves connect, or you may remove the bud that will become a new branch. In this video we will compare Zinnias that have been pinched to zinnias that were allowed to grow normally. To pinch or not to pinch? I wish I would have found this video a few months ago. PHOTO CREDIT: Walter Reeves. I had a lot of floppy plants (I tried staking but they were already too wonky) and only heard about pinching out plants when I watched videos regarding dahlias. If you wish to start growing zinnia plants from seeds indoors, plant the seeds in peat pots, poo pots (pots made from cow dung) or other biodegradable containers that can be planted directly into the garden later. This holds true whether you are growing border dahlias, dinnerplates or decoratives.. This site is chock full of videos to do just that. Pinching Zinnias For Bushy Plants And More Blooms-Growing Zinnia Flowers. The only advantage to scalping is that the soil warms more rapidly and the lawn turns green a little earlier in spring. This is an interesting occurrence and may take a few attempts to get it right, but the end result creates a large and bushy zinnia. Is there a trick to starting the larger seeds in small blocks? Remove the growing tip from zinnia stems to get stockier plants. I think my zinnias are too big to pinch back now, so I'll do it next year for sure. When you walked out her door there will tons of clay pot and just stuff growing everywhere. To Pinch Or Not To Pinch? I did how ever pick up some bad habits from her as in pinching and trying to get free plants. I typically scalp it in spring. First time growing and its going well. You can also pinch them back to encourage fuller growth. Is soil solarization an option? The secret to cutting back zinnias and getting the longest stems from your flowers is to pinch them while they're still young. At this point, add fertilizer and let the plant grow and flower. Try to keep water off the leaves, though—most zinnias are susceptible to powdery mildew, although newer cultivars have been bred for resistance. Quote. Barry Brantley, Stone Mountain. Thanks for looking and enjoy! Maybe not. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves, on Pinterest, or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips. Pinching Zinnias For Bushy Plants And More Blooms-Growing Zinnia Flowers, The Internet uses cookies. I planted my first zinnias last year and was about to start sowing new seeds. Thanks for all your help. Silver maple is prone to many problems. And, if you want to take cuttings, you’re going to need to let the seedling get big enough to have a viable cutting. Reserve pinching for branching varieties such as; snapdragons, dahlias, sweet peas, zinnias etc. Hopefully this way, I won't have to stake them! When they do so the plants sprout new stems, grow stockier, and have more flowers than they would otherwise. It gets leaf spots and cankers and root diseases at the drop of a hat. This is my first year successfully planting zinnias from seed woohoo ☺. I have heard about doing this for years, but I could never bring myself to do it. This entails snipping the top off the plant when it's between 8 … I am just getting attuned to the notion that this is really a good thing to do in general. Here’s how it’s done: When plants are between 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30.5 cm) tall, take sharp pruners and snip the top 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.2 cm) off the plant, just above a set of leaves. Lisa. Can I get away with not scalping? The leaves have little color in autumn, and they drop throughout the year, making a mess in a landscape. "Crystal White" was a 1997 All-America Selection for its gentle color and eruption of blooms. I will definitely try pinching this year; thank you for showing how to do it. But if you want to use it as a cutting, you don’t want to squish the stem, so you need to cut it with a razor or knife. They are getting their 4th pair of leaves, I am guessing it is time to pinch them back. They look so much fuller that way! Q: I put zinnias around my mailbox. Use clean, sharp garden shears to trim back large stems. Grasp the stem lightly and find the thickest bud at the top of a set of blooms. A: On a garden tour in England, I learned the phrase "the Chelsea chop." Pinching back annuals and late-blooming perennials, tending to strawberries regularly, and edging beds are some of the gardening activities for this month. In which case you would want to pinch back. ... pinch them back when they start to mature to get them bushier. Thanks for watching! They are getting their 4th pair of leaves, I am guessing it is time to pinch them back. I would try both ways. 28 posts Previous; 1; 2; Yodlei44. Cut off dead blooms to spur new flowering. Do note that you do NOT want to pinch a single stem blooming plant like your typical sunflower or stock. If you find your petunias are getting “leggy,” meaning each stem is long and hanging toward the ground, you should pinch off growing tips. Do u fertilize them.do u soray for anything. Zinnias are a great garden annual that anyone can grow. Doug Hines, Villa Rica. Q: The builder planted a maple in the yard of my new house. Ask around for 'Peve Minaret' (20 feet high and 8 feet wide) and 'Skyward' (25 feet high and 10 feet wide). Share with: Link: Copy link. How long do the new flowers take to come after cutting the old ones? For the fullest, bushiest zinnias, whether you plant a short or tall variety, pinch off an inch from the growing tips of the plant as it becomes established and growth accelerates. A: There are smaller varieties of bald cypress that don't grow so tall. EU bureaucrats insist that you click a button - if you opt out you have to leave, sorry, New to Gardening? The limbs are brittle so they fall easily. For plants like herbs, pinching back can help the plant to produce more of their desirable leaves. Pinching new growth on young plants will promote branching. have you pinched each branch, like second or third pinches and does it bush out the plant even more? So a girl who grows Zinnees as I call them, is alright with me. Start s… A: Plenty of bermudagrass lawns go without scalping in spring and look fine. The plant will produce two stems at that site. "When zinnias have grown to several inches, prune frequently to encourage more branches for flower head growth," Mbofung-Curtis says. February 11, 2019 at 6:03 pm. 3,902. Thanks for watching! Pinch early to promote branching, then “pinch” by cutting flowers. Thank you. Girl I have just found you. "Rather than allowing flowers to be spent on the plants before deadheading, cut the mature flowers for use in bouquets to encourage blossoming throughout the season. Major bark loss is almost certainly unstoppable. She always had dirty finger nails and had pinches starting in the kitchen in mason jars. A: My answer will disappoint you, but I think you should have it taken down. In my experience fusarium is a disease associated with soil that stays moist too long. Thanks! What a pretty sight. Pinch or use small pruners just above a place on the stem where you see new small leaves forming. Another reason for pinching plants is to keep a plant compact. Once this happens, pinch them off. Zinnias and cosmos are especially generous bloomers if pinched. do you keep pinching the new growth that branches out from one plant or just pinch once? The perfect book to look at before bed. Some people have it and some don't, I mean the green thumb. We never grew them before, and they are flourishing. When your zinnias are six inches tall, pinch off the growing tip with a thumbnail. Place the top of the root ball even with the level of the surrounding soil. 3,902. Zetty. You'll have a stocky plant with lots of blooms to enjoy. They grew five feet high! Also…zinnias root when they fall over…something i have ever taken advantage of.