How to pinch geranium correctly: when to do it and how exactly, so that it grows denser, blooms and does not stretch up, as well as a step-by-step photo of the procedure

Geranium is a very bright, beautifully flowering decoration of any house and apartment.

This flower is very popular among professional flower growers, and among ordinary lovers.

But despite all its unpretentiousness and ease of care for this plant, for frequent and magnificent flowering, he needs timely and correct nipping.

Why is it needed and how to do it right? How to achieve a magnificent crown, we will consider further.

Why and when do you need a pinch?

Geranium, or as it is also called pelargonium, is a perennial plant, long and magnificent flowering. The flower has many medicinal properties and is practically not afraid of insect pests, which it repels with its specific smell. We find geraniums not only in gardens and flower beds, but also on many window sills.

Due to its unpretentiousness and beautiful flowering, geranium has gained great popularity in our country. But so that this beautiful flower remains compact and attractive. And did not take half of the window sill, you need to properly care for it, do timely nipping and cutting (for how to care for geraniums at home in a pot to bloom, read here, and from this article you will learn about recommendations for caring for a flower in open ground). Using these simple techniques that form geraniums, you will achieve two important goals:

Timely pinching will give the plant a beautiful and plentiful bloom.
In addition, pinching and pruning geraniums will save the plant from sick and weak branches that slow down the growth and development of the flower.

Important! Pinching pushes the timing of the flowering of geraniums, since the nutrients that must come to the upper growth point are spent on the formation of new side shoots.

Therefore, this procedure can be used as a regulator of the timing of flowering of a flower. Stop pinching the plant after acquiring the desired shape and bushiness.

The essence of the procedure

The principle of pinching is to remove the growth point from which a new branch originates. Simply put, the very top of the geranium stem is cut off. This procedure forces the trunk to let out new shoots, and the flower becomes more and more branched.

Pinching young pelargonium should be done several times a month, while the flower grows in growth and gains strength. Usually, all leaves on the stem are removed, except for the 5-6 largest and strongest leaves.

You can pinch growth points in any months of the year, except in the winter, when the plant needs to rest and should not be disturbed (how to care for home geraniums in winter can be found here).

How to spend?

The action algorithm is as follows:

Before starting pinching, carefully inspect the upper shoots of the flower and find the growth point on them, the largest upper shoot bud, responsible for the active growth of the plant. If this point is not removed in time, the begonia will stretch in height, preventing the formation of side branches.
Having found the main active kidney, gently pinch it with your fingers or nails. On a denser, woody shoot, you can use nail clippers or a garden pruner. Carrying out the procedure, make sure that the neighboring young leaves do not crumple, and try not to break the main trunk of the shoot.
After pinching, the shoot does not stop growing fully in height, and after some time it will again begin to stretch. But thanks to pinching, the lateral buds have time to open and let out new sprouts.
Remember that removing the top of the shoot will make nearby sleeping kidneys awaken. Therefore, if you do not want the emergence of shoots in these places, the awakened kidneys. After the first sprouts appear, they must also be carefully removed.

Important points:

During operation, only clean, alcohol-treated tools may be used. Secateurs or scissors should be sharpened so as not to injure the flower unnecessarily. Hands should be washed thoroughly so as not to infect the geranium with any disease.
If pinching is done with the nails, without using a tool, the shoots cannot be pulled too much, as this injures the plant.
After completing all the procedures, the flower must be placed in a warm, sunny place. Young shoots need a large amount of light for fast and enhanced growth.
If unhealthy, infected shoots appear on the plant, they must be immediately removed with 3-4 cm of a healthy trunk.
Nailing places need to be treated with disinfectants: alcohol, green or charcoal ash. Otherwise, the cut points will begin to dry, and pelargonium can become sick.

What to do to make the bush grow denser?

On a note. In order for the geranium to grow into a lush bush, its apical bud on the main shoot above the stem node needs to be pinched.

This stimulates the growth of lateral buds on the lower nodes of the stem. After this event seedlings will slow their growthbut will begin to gain strength. Geranium will eventually acquire a beautiful spherical shape due to the appearance of a large number of side stems.

How not to let the flower stretch upward?

So that the geranium does not stretch into growth, pinching should be done on the most important upper point of the formation of the stem. If, after this procedure, the shoots from the upper sinuses of the leaves grow again, they must be removed, then allowed to grow a little and pinch again. The buds are removed during this time, so that the flower gives all its strength only to the growth of side shoots.

What to do for lush flowering?

Only young shoots bloom in geraniums. Therefore, so that it quickly develops and flourishes, young shoots must be pinched after the formation of the first 4-5 pairs of the first leaves. As a result, the remaining strong shoots will begin to actively grow and develop, turning into a magnificent crown with many flowers.

Features for pelargonium grown from seeds

Grown geranium from seeds should be started to pinch over 6-8 leaves. In this case, only axillary shoots are left, growing below the very top pair of leaves. If, after pinching the shoots in the sinuses of the upper leaves, shoots begin to appear again, they must be removed immediately, otherwise new shoots will not begin to grow on the lower sinuses.

Photo

Below you can find step-by-step photos of the process of pinching geraniums.

Possible errors and their correction

When pinching geraniums, a very important condition must be observed. You can not pinch all the upper shoots at once, some of them must be left untouched. The role of these shoots is that they will take on the bulk of the nutrients, preventing them from appearing new shoots prematurely.

But if you still unsuccessfully deleted more top points than necessary, do not worry.

Reference. Remove new shoots, cauterizing these places with green, until the upper buds reappear in the right places.

What to do after pinching?

With regular pinching of shoots and buds, geranium actively grows and develops. Due to this, the color especially needs constant top dressing with growth stimulants and a full range of mineral fertilizers (about when and what is better to feed geraniums, read here, and from this article you will learn how to use iodine with hydrogen peroxide to properly feed the flower) . With a lack of nutrition, the plant will begin to let out many thin stems that weaken the plant.

Useful video

Pinch of pelargonium. How to form plants for bushiness:

Conclusion

The correct and timely procedure for pinching geraniums will help to give the plant the desired beautiful shape, make its foliage thick, and flowering long and plentiful. After all, the more shoots the pelargonium has, the more flowers will appear. Follow the rules and recommendations described in this article, and your flower will become a chic decoration of your home!