There’s a simple secret to getting tons of flowers in your cut flower garden, and it’s as easy as grabbing a pair of scissors. It’s called pinching, and basically it’s cutting a flower back to encourage it to bush out and create more stems. More stems equal more flowers!
But let’s be honest, if you’re new to cut flower gardening, pinching back flowers can be irrationally scary. What if you mess it up? And if you live in a cold climate and short growing season like I do in my zone 3 garden, you worry that pinching flowers will mean that you somehow get cheated out of your cut flowers. It’s silly, I know, but we’ve all been there and thought those thoughts.
In this post, we’re going to chat about the general rules for pinching cut flowers, how to pinch some of the most common cut flowers, and which cut flowers need to be pinched.
Prefer video content? Check out how I pinch my flowers below:
Which Flowers Need to Be Pinched?
In general, there are two types of cut flowers: one-and-done flowers and cut-and-come-again flowers.
One and done flowers, like stock, most perennial flowers, and single-stem sunflowers, are those that only produce one flower. Once you cut it, the plant will not produce any more flowers. These flowers should not be pinched, as pinching them won’t produce any more flowers.
Cut and come again flowers are like magic. The more you cut them, the more they bloom. These flowers benefit from pinching, because doing so encourages them to create more stems. More stems equals more flowers–and that’s some math any flower grower can get behind! Some examples include snapdragons, cosmos, zinnias, and dahlias.
How do you Pinch a Cut Flower?
Once the cut flower reaches 8-12 inches (20-30 centimetres), you’ll cut back the flower to around 4-6 inches (or 10-15 centimetres). But don’t just do it willy-nilly! Look for a spot that is just above where leaves branch out (like in the graphic below), then grab your scissors and cut the plant. You can even just use your fingers, if you prefer!
You will feel like a plant murderer, but just breathe… It’s okay! The extra blooms will be worth it.
And that’s it. Super simple.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pinching Plants
Will Pinching My Flowers Delay Their Growth?
Yes, but it’s worth it.
That being said, I understand not wanting to pinch them because you want flowers as soon as possible. If that’s the case, I recommend pinching half of your flowers and leaving the rest. This way, you’ll also extend your harvest, meaning that you’ll have a more reasonable pace of flowers, instead of all the blooms all at once.
When is the Best Time to Pinch Cut Flowers?
In general, you’ll pinch cut flowers out in the field when they reach around 8-12 inches (or 20-30 centimetres). During seed starting time, if your seedlings get to around the 8-inch (20-centimetre) mark, you can also pinch them back, even if they’re indoors.
How Many Times Should I Pinch the Flower?
In general, we’re only going to pinch our flowers one time. Once you start betting blooms, natural pinching occurs as you cut the flowers for use in bouquets. Since the flowers aren’t dying on the plant and getting the signal to start producing seeds, the plant will keep sending up more blooms if it’s a cut-and-come-again flower.
If you decide that you don’t want to pinch at all, that’s fine too. Once you start cutting, more stems will start producing.
What’s the Difference Between Pinching and Deadheading?
In theory, not much. However, when you’re deadheading flowers in containers, you can pinch them off right where the flower meets the stem. If you do that with cut flowers, you’ll end up with super weird, short stems–which is terrible for bouquet making.
Have any more questions about pinching flowers? Let me know in the comments!
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READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN WITHOUT THE HASSLE?
I’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating a cut flower garden with my e-book, Cut Flowers Made Simple. Whether you’re a farmer florist, a beginner gardener, or anything in between, you’ll be able to start your own cut flower garden, with or without seed starting, growing annual flowers.
Charlene Bragg
Elka