At what point do you pinch the tips of seedlings

lynn.monachese · February 2023

When I watch the show, I see these lush plants that were sown from seed and they are so much fuller and robust than what I get. I am curious as to when is the best time to pinch the tops to allow for bigger plant before putting them in the ground. I know it's going to be different with each type of plant, but would love to make mine more robust before putting into the ground. Example: Monty's cosmos!

Simone_in_Wiltshire · February 2023

@lynn.monachese I wouldn’t pinch the top of Cosmos plants otherwise you have no flowers. Cosmos are single stem plants (at least the ones I had). Sweetpeas need to be taken off the head once they have 8 leaves.

lynn.monachese · February 2023

Thank you Simone. Suppose I need to be a bit more patient and let them get bigger. Sweetpeas wither in our Southern heat..

punkdoc · February 2023

Sorry, but that is not correct, Cosmos should be pinched, to get a branched plant. I do mine when they are about 4-6 inches tall.

Dovefromabove · February 2023

I agree with @punkdoc … I always pinch out my cosmos seedlings … the result is a many-branched plant full of flowers. 😊

bédé · February 2023

lynn.monachese said:

Sweetpeas wither in our Southern heat..

Southern where?

One reason for pinching out sweet peas is to stop them getting horribly tangled.

Fairygirl · February 2023

I also agree re the Cosmos.
S. peas need regular pinching @lynn.monachese if sown in autumn, or early spring and you have warm conditions, as they grow on rapidly. If left, you'll have leggy, weaker plants.
If you're in the south of the UK, the heat and dry conditions are certainly more difficult for them, but it also means you can get them planted out earlier. If you sow some more soon - through March, and don't have them anywhere hot, they'll give you some later flowering plants and will hopefully extend your season. Many people over cosset them which is detrimental anyway - they don't need any extra heat to germinate and grow, so they're a bit different from cosmos

They do need huge amounts of food and water to do well too, and dead heading as much as possible to promote plenty of flowers.
If you grow in pots, move them into a shadier site. Full sun can even be too much for them here if it's for a longer period.

Simone_in_Wiltshire · February 2023

Thanks @punkdoc @Dovefromabove @Fairygirl.👍
I didn’t know that Cosmos need to be pinched too. A neighbour had a stunning bed last and I’m sure she didn’t pinch them as didn’t do it 2 years ago. I will do it this year when I start them next month.

punkdoc · February 2023

Most seedlings form better plants if they have the tips pinched out when they are young.

Fairygirl · February 2023

You can also try pinching out the cosmos at different times, or doing some more often than others @Simone_in_Wiltshire, depending on where you intend planting them. That will give you some variation in the heights of the plants, which can be useful if they're among other perennials/shrubs and/or annuals.

Songbird-2 · February 2023

We have never pinched our our cosmos as we prefer them a little taller rather than squat and rotund😊 but we still get multi stemmed flowers.
Those in the picture are actually a dwarf variety

At what point do you pinch the tips of seedlings

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