• Home
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Press Releases
    • Plant Sale
    • Kids in the Garden
    • Twilight Garden Tour >
      • 2020 Virtual Twilight Garden Tour
    • 2021 Handouts
    • 2020 Handouts
    • 2019 Event Handouts
    • 2018 Handouts
    • 2017 Handouts & Slides
    • 2016 Handouts & Slides
  • Teaching Gardens
  • Members
    • Meetings
    • Committees
    • Member Handbook
    • Presentation Resources for Members
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Continuing Education
    • Onboarding
  • About/Contacts
    • Speakers Available
  • Helpful Links
  • Training
  • Blog
    • Videos
  North Country MGV

gARDEN bLOGS

Pinch and Prune Basics

6/28/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​​We use “pinch and prune” to mean a variety of techniques.   They can include pruning, deadheading, pinching stems or buds, or cutting back leggy plants to shape, form and trim.  It is usually species-specific and based on common sense and experience – don’t worry about hurting your plants by experimenting. 
 
Some tools that you will need are by-pass pruners, pruning scissors, and hand-held shears.  Avoid anvil-type pruners that can crush stems.    Different techniques call for specific tools, find the one that works for you.
Techniques
Deadheading is the removal of old or spent flowers and is beneficial to most herbaceous ornamentals.  Seed production can drain a plant’s energy and cause foliage to deteriorate.  Deadheading can promote vegetative and root growth rather than seed production.  By deadheading you can prolong bloom periods, initiate a second smaller bloom, improve overall appearance, and prevent self-seeding.  Some examples of species that benefit from deadheading are:  Daylilies, Hostas, Lady’s Mantle, and Lambs Ear. 
 
Cutting back refers to pruning a plant to renew its appearance or encourage a new flush of growth or flowering, control its height or flowering time.  Pinching can accomplish the same objective.  If you travel for several weeks, you can cut certain plants by one third to delay bloom time until you get back home.  Examples:  Dianthus, Candy Tuft, Moss Phlox, Catmint, Geranium Amsonia, Baptisia, Achillea, Aster, Mums, Sedum, Joe Pye Weed. 
 
Pinching allows for experimentation and usually involves removing only the growing tips.  Generally do this early in the growing season because it will delay bloom time.  Examples:  Sedum, Shasta daisy, Joe Pye Weed, Aster, Artemisia. 
 
Thinning can prevent disease, create sturdier stems, and increase the size of flowers.  It can often help to increase air circulation to help prevent powdery mildew.  Use this on:  Aster, Delphinium, Mondarda, Phlox, Bulgeweed, Lambs Ear, and Lady’s Mantle. 
 
Disbudding involves removing side buds so that the plant’s terminal bud produces larger flowers on a longer stem.  Removing the terminal bud will cause the side buds to produce smaller but more flowers; it can also eliminate the need for staking.  Examples:  Mums, Carnations, Pinks, Dahlias, Peonies. 
 
Deadleafing removes individual dead leaves to improve appearance.  Examples:  Elijah Blue grass in spring, Lady’s Mantle in summer, and Hellebores (Lenten Rose) in the spring. 
 
A great source of information on all these techniques is The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, Timber Press, 2006.  

Article and photo credit:  Sue Reinardy, Master Gardener
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.



    Learn more about what's going on by checking out these local blogs and Facebook sites: 

    *No. Country MGV Facebook
    *Spooner Ag Station Facebook 
    ​* The River Flowing Blog
    ​
    *  GardenTrueNorth Blog

    (These blogs are not associated
    ​ with the UW-Extension except for the Spooner Ag Station Facebook page.)


    Coming Events
    Go to our home page
    ​

    Archives

    February 2023
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All
    All American Selections
    Annuals
    Bouquet Tips
    Event Announcement
    Fruits
    Growing Tips
    Invasive Plants
    Miscellaneous
    Perennials
    Pollinator Plants
    Projects
    Public Gardens
    Recipe
    Trees And Shrubs
    Vegetables

    RSS Feed

Location

Visit the Teaching & Display Gardens

The Teaching and Display Gardens  are a joint effort between the Spooner Agriculture Research Station, operated by the University of Wisconsin - Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science, the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and area UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.  

Open to the public for self-guided tours during day light hours seven days a week mid-May through mid-September. 

Contact Us

  • Home
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Press Releases
    • Plant Sale
    • Kids in the Garden
    • Twilight Garden Tour >
      • 2020 Virtual Twilight Garden Tour
    • 2021 Handouts
    • 2020 Handouts
    • 2019 Event Handouts
    • 2018 Handouts
    • 2017 Handouts & Slides
    • 2016 Handouts & Slides
  • Teaching Gardens
  • Members
    • Meetings
    • Committees
    • Member Handbook
    • Presentation Resources for Members
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Continuing Education
    • Onboarding
  • About/Contacts
    • Speakers Available
  • Helpful Links
  • Training
  • Blog
    • Videos