"animaux" wrote in message
...


That works fine for a few plants, but when you have a greenhouse full
the hand pinching is labor intensive and adds significantly to the
production cost. That's why the chemicals were developed and are widely
used.

Not always. I worked in a greenhouse operation which had millions of
square
feet under glass. We propagated millions and millions of mums each year
and we
hand pinched them all. King buds had to come out and no chemical growth
retardant could do that.

As an added thought, petunias are extremely easy to start from tip cuttings.
When the old plant begins looking ratty, I take cuttings and throw away the
old plant when the cuttings root.

John