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pinching back snapdragons before they bloom?

14 years ago

i just planed a mass of white rocket snapdragons. last year, i think i pinched back the main "leader" bud before it flowered in an attempt to get it to create more side buds. but i don't think this was a successful strategy--i think i just delayed flowering, and the spikes weren't as tall or as showy. what are people's thoughts about doing some pre-emptive pinching back of annuals such as snapdragons?

any thoughts appreciated. thank you--

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Comments (3)

totallyconfused
14 years ago
I haven't grown them in awhile, but I think I used to let them bloom and then pinch them back before they went to seed. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can give you a definitive answer.

Totally Confused
lam702
14 years ago
I pinch them before flowering. However, I don't grow Rockets, I don't like them as well as some of the other types. They need to be staked, and being the lazy gardener that I am, I prefer not to bother with it. I grow the medium height types, about 18" - 24" which not only do not need staking, but I find that when I pinch the main stems out, the plant branches out nicely and blooms better. I think the short and medium height types bloom more heavily than the taller kinds. My snaps keep flowering right up into the fall, as late as Nov. some years, and in zone 5, that can be pretty cold. Just keep deadheading them, don't let them go to seed and they'll keep blooming and blooming. Snaps are my favorite annual.
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My summers don't get as hot for as long as down south and out west, but mine do bloom all summer. When they start getting too tall, I start pinching the stems back. Not all at once though. I pinch them just below the bottom flower that's bloomed. You'll be taking a few buds off at the top, but pinching them will make them branch out. More flowers that way and they don't get leggy. Just deadheading the flowers and not pinching the stalk will still get you more flowers, but I like pinching the stalks down better. Enjoy! Kat
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I confess to being a bit of a pincher too....but probably for bad reasons as often as good ones - all those seeds which I started too early and are getting leggy, those in danger of falling over (staking?tying? I don't think so).....in fact, I am an enthusiastic adherent to the Chelsea Chop, a late May shearing back of numerous plants to keep them sturdy (because I am not staking the bigger ones either). The pinching goes every way - leaders, tips, side shoots (woe betide a wayward tomato or sweet pea side-shoot escaping my eagle eye). I would say though, it is pretty much horses for courses, entirely optional (I am an inveterate meddler and prodder).
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Aunt lou, if your library has it, check out "The Well Tended Perennial garden" by Tracy DiSabato. It goes into great details about how to pinch and prune back plants for control and better, fuller looks. Several on here recommended it to me, and I check it out from the library. Would love to have my own a reference tho. From what I understand, you can prune back all perennials except things like daylillies. Just make sure you do this BEFORE your plant starts to set buds. It states you may have some delays in blooming, but the plant will develop more branches and blooms. Someone on GW showed a pic of False Sunflower. The flowers were beautiful, but I commented I didnt care for plants 5 feet tall. She said they can be pruned back and kept more compact. I am going to try that on several of my perennials.My achillea, gets too floppy. I highly recommend that book tho,cause one cant rely on my memory,lol. Tammy
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I agree Janice, great definitions and they are important tasks AND timely right about now. I have been doing a lot of pinching lately, both perennials and annuals. It promotes more side branching and blooming, so that I get more blooms (although they might be smaller overall). Most perennials I don't pinch, but the ones I do include Helianthus, Solidago, and Asters. Also I usually pinch a few of the Monarda stalks to get a staggering of the bloom. Most of the annuals I DO pinch, at least once. That includes Cosmos, Snapdragons, Petunias, Cleome, Tithonia, Verbena bonariensis, Basil, and others. Some of these plants get HUGE (perennial Helianthus and Tithonia, for example) and pinching helps keep the height down. Also I love Cleome but it will grow one really tall main stalk if you don't pinch it, and it looks nicer with many arching stems and flowers branching out from the main stalk (same with Cosmos IMO). I also deadhead the majority of perennials and annuals, for many reasons, the main reason being that it looks better. The exceptions would be any perennials or annuals that make seeds the birds eat, since I am a wildlife gardener and like to attract and feed the birds.
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oilpainter
14 years ago
You accomplish the same thing as pinching them back when you take off the leader after it has flowered a bit. As long as you take it before it starts making lots of seeds on the bottom.

In all plants the top or leader is the prime seed maker and the branches are secondary. Most of the good goes to that leader to help it make seeds. When that top is pinched off without it making seeds then the plant goes into survival mode and the good goes to all it's branches are equally, and you get more branching and more flowers. That is why a plant bushes out after the top is removed.

With your rockets the plant is naturally slender, not bushy. That is why they're called rockets. I don't think pinching it back before they bloom is a good idea. It will never bush out like it's smaller cousins.

I never pinch back my little darling snaps and they are always bushy. In fact I never pinch anything back, but rely on removing the leader before it goes to seed

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