If you don't wear green today, you are going to get pinched. For those who actually look good in green, its not a problem. Some would rather go all day getting pinched than wear green, and some are aggravated by the idea that just because they don't wear a certain color, someone is going to pinch them.
No. You are literally asking for it.
I thought today would be a good day to go over pinching plants. Corny, yes. Practical...also yes.
Obviously, this is something that a seasoned veteran in the industry has a handle on. But even those vets can learn from going back over the fundamentals. For those that benefitted from my last blog post: Your First Spring? This may be something you have no idea how to do.
What is pinching a plant?
Its just pruning that encourages branching. When you pinch, you are removing part of a main stem, and forcing the plant to grow two new stems below the pinch.
There are many great reasons for pinching a plant, mainly to create a fuller, more compact plant. Pinching it forces the plant to focus on growing new stems outward instead of adding more height, and becoming lanky.
To do it, just pinch off the upper most small leaves and stem. Do it at the end of all of your stems, and you will have a fuller, more bushy plant. If its still not as bushy or compact as you'd like, do it all over again.
Your thumb and forefinger are not magical (as some people seem to believe when pinching plants), so you can use scissors or pruning shears instead. If you are pinching with your fingers, try not to twist and tear the new growth off, as it takes longer for the plant to heal from this.
Plants will probably be the only green things getting pinched today, unless you've got that uncle who pinches you because your shirt is actually emerald or jade. Of course, you could just carry this around all day:
Just pin it to your jade-colored shirt.
Happy St. Patricks Day!
-JK
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