01-04-2004, 05:09 PM
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blackeye susan trimming?
From: (Twobtold)
Date: Wed, Mar 31, 2004 6:14 PM
Message-id:
From: oway
With garden mums, folks normally will cut these back early and then keep
pinching them back until about a month or so before blooming is desired.
(You
can easily root the cuttings for lots more plants that often bloom the
same
year.)
Cut back pinch back
Is there a distinction? Can't you just cut the plants back each time?
In general, "pinching back" involves using thumb and index finger to literally
pinch or snap off the tender tips of stems, perhaps only one or two leaf nodes
down. "Cutting back" will usually involve using a clipper to take off more of
the stem, travelling down several leaf nodes where the stem is thicker. (In
some cases it can mean taking the plant almost down to the ground.) On the
types of plants that benefit from cutting and/or pinching back, you will
usually get new growth doubling at the cut/pinched ends. But if your question
is, can you use a clipper for either action.....sure.....but it's best to use a
hand clipper for pinching back, if you're not using your fingers.
Best,
Tyra
nNJ usa z7
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