Pinching flower seedlings at the right time is the best way to increase the number of long-stemmed blooms you get in your cut flower garden. Learn how, when, and which flowers to pinch in this guide.
I was terrified the first time I pinched my zinnia plants.
They were growing in so strong and healthy with lush, large green leaves and a thick stem. It made me feel sick snipping off that beautiful, green stem.
What if it doesn’t grow back? I wondered.
Yet all the flower-growers recommended pinching flowers. You’ll get more blooms and longer stems, they promised.
They were right.
That summer and every summer since then, I have been pinching my zinnias, snapdragons, cosmos, dahlias, and more.
And yes, the plants do grow back with longer stems and more blooms.
What Is Pinching and Why Does It Work?
Pinching is the practice of removing the main growing tip (also called apical bud) of a young plant by snipping the central stem just above a set of leaves.
With a steady hand and nerves of steel, pinching is easily done with your fingernail or (better yet) a pair of clean snips.
Here’s why it works: most flowering plants tend to grow from a single, dominant stem.
When you remove that central stem, the plant is forced to branch out below the cut, producing multiple lateral stems instead of one tall stalk.
Each of those long-stemmed branches produce flowers.
For cut flower gardening, that means you’ll get more stems per plant and thus, more flowers.
The downside is a short delay to your first bloom by a couple weeks. However, the trade-off is completely worth it.
How to Pinch Flowers
The pinching technique is relatively similar for all flowering plants.
You’ll want to pinch flowering plants when they are still young seedlings.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Identify the central stem. It’s the longest, thickest, and probably the only stem your plant has at this point.
Step 2: Use clean, sharp floral snips or pruners to cut off the central stem just above the second or third set of leaves in one smooth motion.
And that’s all there is to it!
Using snips works best so you don’t bruise or damage the stem any more than necessary.
The plant will branch out from the armpits of the leaves left below the cut.
If you look closely at the snapdragon plant above, you can see it’s already beginning to branch out at the leaf nodes that were left behind.
When to Pinch Flowers
The best time to pinch varies from plant to plant, but in general seedlings should have several sets of true leaves before pinching.
Plants will need the foliage leftover from pinching to photosynthesize and grow new branches and leaves. If you pinch too soon, plants may not be able to recover.
Which Flowers Need to Be Pinched?
This section covers when to pinch these flowers:
Amaranth
Amaranth is important to pinch. Without pinching, amaranth produces a single, huge plume that looks impressive in the garden, but is hard to use in arrangements.
With pinching, amaranth branches into multiple stems with smaller, better proportioned bloom-heads for the vase.
When to Pinch: Pinch amaranth when the plant is 12 inches tall.
Celosia
Celosia plumosa and Celosia spicata will both benefit from pinching. The only celosia NOT to pinch are the crested or “brain” types, or Celosia cristata.
Pinching these two types of celosia will promote branching and more flower heads and prevent super-thick stems and single large blooms.
If you have the crested/cockscomb or “brain” types (Celosia cristata), you can opt not to pinch for larger crests or cockscomb.
There are also certain crested celosia that grow only a single stem like the Bombay series. These should NOT be pinched. Check your seed packet if you’re unsure what kind you have.
When to Pinch: Pinch celosia when it reaches 6 inches tall.
Snapdragons
Snapdragons can be pinched or left unpinched.
However, if you pinch your snapdragons, you’ll get four to six long stems, each producing a beautiful flower spike.
When to Pinch: Pinch snapdragons when the plant reaches 4 inches tall and has at least two to three sets of true leaves. Typically 2 to 3 weeks after transplant.
Basil
Basil is one of my favorites to grow for foliage and scent in bouquets.
When you pinch basil stems, it will grow two new ones from the leaf node below the cut. Pinching will also help the plant create stronger stems.
So if you want more basil (and I know I do) with better stems, then pinch it!
When to Pinch: Pinch basil when seedlings are 8 inches tall.
Zinnias
Zinnias are strong growers that will bounce back quickly after pinching.
Zinnias are the first plant I ever pinched, and I’m glad I started with these because they gave me the confidence to pinch my other flowers!
Unlike the first three flowers we covered, zinnias will branch eventually without pinching, and their bloom size won’t be affected by pinching.
Unpinched zinnias will have short stems, but will flower quicker than pinched zinnias.
For my own garden, I like to pinch over half my zinnias and leave the rest alone so I can enjoy blooms sooner even if the stems are a little shorter.
If you want to leave some zinnias unpinched, make the first cut low on the plant, just above the first 2-3 sets of leaves. This promotes branching low on the plant and helps keep the plant balanced and stable as it continues to grow.
When to Pinch Off Zinnias: Pinch zinnias when the plant reaches 8-12 inches tall and has 3-4 sets of leaves.
For more on growing zinnias, read these posts:
Cosmos
Cosmos is one of my favorite cut flowers to grow. Like zinnias, cosmos responds well to pinching and will still branch on its own without pinching, but pinching helps stabilize the plants and keep them upright.
Again, I will typically pinch half my cosmos plants to get branching plants right away and leave the rest unpinched for earlier blooms.
When to Pinch Cosmos: Pinch cosmos when the plant is 8-12 inches tall.
Learn more about cosmos in my post on how to grow and harvest cosmos as cut flowers.
Marigolds
Marigolds are great companion plants in the veggie garden and also make great cut flowers.
Pinching marigolds will give you more strong, branching stems and blooms.
When to Pinch: Pinch marigolds when plants are 8-12 inches tall.
Branching Sunflowers
There are two kinds of sunflowers: branching and single-stem. Branching sunflowers can be pinched to increase the number of stems, while single-stem sunflowers should NOT be pinched at all.
Single-stem sunflowers grow only one flower and pinching would prevent the plant from producing a flower at all. For example, the ProCut and Sunrich series are all single stemmed sunflowers and should not be pinched.
If you’re not sure what kind you have, search the Internet with your sunflower variety name to double check. When in doubt, leave your sunflowers unpinched.
For more on sunflower types and when to harvest, read my post on growing sunflowers for cut flower bouquets.
When to Pinch: Pinch when branching sunflowers are 18 inches tall with several sets of true leaves.
Dahlias
Dahlias can vary in how each variety grows, but generally speaking, all dahlias will respond well to pinching.
Pinching is absolutely necessary for long stems in certain varieties and will also help keep plants upright by increasing stability.
I find pinching dahlias to be essential to avoid getting really thick, hard, hollow central stems. These thick stems are difficult to arrange with and make the plant weaker and more susceptible to rot from getting water stuck in the hollow stem.
For more on growing dahlias, read my guide to growing dahlias from tubers.
When to Pinch Dahlias: Pinch dahlia plants when they are 12 inches tall, leaving 1-2 sets of leaves growing below.
Tip: Don’t let your pinched stems go to waste! Propagate the dahlia cuttings to turn each one into a new plant. Find out how in this post on dahlia propagation.
Flowers NOT to Pinch
Not all flowers benefit from pinching and will not bloom at all if pinched!
If you are growing these flowers, do not prune off their central stem.
- Single-stem sunflowers (such as ProCut or Sunrich)
- Single-stem celosia (like the Bombay series)
- Stock
- Delphinium
- Larkspur
- Campanula
- Euphorbia
- Statice
- Bupleurum
- Foxglove
- Dill
Pinching Selectively to Stagger Bloom Times
I’m a home gardener and I use pinching to stagger bloom times so that I can get both early and late blooms on plants that need to be pinched.
Of the plants covered above, zinnias, cosmos, and snapdragons are the ones where I only pinch half the plants and leave the rest unpinched.
You can try this too!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pinching too late. If a plant has already set a flower bud on its central stem, you’ve lost some of the benefit to pinching. It won’t hurt to do it now, but avoid pinching too late by setting a calendar reminder, or commit to checking plants once a week in the spring to see if they are ready for pinching.
- Pinching single-stem varieties. Always double check if your celosia or sunflowers are branching or single-stem. Avoid pinching all single-stem flower varieties!
- Using dull or dirty tools. Dull tools will damage plant stems and invite disease. Sterilize tools with rubbing alcohol in between cuts to prevent disease from spreading.
- Removing too much. Make sure the plant has one or more sets of healthy leaves to be able to photosynthesize after pinching.
Ready to Pinch?
For me, the hardest part of pinching is working up the courage to snip off the tips. The first cut always makes me nervous!
But once you’ve seen how beautifully these plants branch and bloom after being cut, you’ll never skip it again.
Start by pinching zinnias if you’re unsure. The difference between a pinched plant and unpinched plant is obvious.
For more on growing and arranging cut flowers, have a look at these posts.