How to 3x your blooms!
Ok, so I made up the 3x, I’m not exactly sure how many extra blooms you’ll get, but I know it’s significantly more.
It’s that time of year where you can see your plants grow over night. If you bought a Cut Flower Kit, most of your seedlings are probably around 8-12 inches tall, maybe even taller. Here comes the scary thing….
It’s time to pinch them!
It might feel a little counterintuitive, and a bit reckless, to snip the top off a plant you’ve work so hard to get to this point. But pinching is one of the best things you can do for certain flowers. It encourages them to grow stronger, fuller, and produce more stems, Yay!
🌿 What is Pinching?
Pinching is simply removing the top few inches of a young plant, usually right above a pair of leaves. When you do this, the plant gets the message to branch out, sending up new shoots from the sides instead of just growing one tall stem.
🌿Why pinch?
Fuller plants that don’t flop over or grow too tall and spindly.
More blooms over a longer season.
Stronger stems that are easier to harvest and arrange.
It can feel a little scary, like you’re undoing all your hard work, but this little snip makes a world of difference.
✂️ How to Pinch. Grab your blindfold for this part.
Wait until the plant is about 8–12 inches tall.
Find a healthy pair of leaves and look just above them.
With fingers or snips, gently remove the top growth right above that spot.
That’s it!
🌿Flowers That Love a Pinch
These cut flowers respond beautifully to a little pinch early on. They’ll reward you with armloads of blooms later in the season:
Zinnias
Cosmos
Celosia
Dahlias
🚫 Flowers That Don’t Need Pinching
Some flowers are naturally well-behaved and don’t benefit from being pinched. These usually grow from one central stem or branch out on their own:
Feverfew
Snaps
Basil — Just keep cutting it and it will get bushier on its own
🌿A Gentle Snip for Happier Flowers
So time to get snippy! I get a little nervous pinching my blooms every year but believe me, it’s worth it!