PINCHING
Jan Wiggelinkhuizen
Fuchsia Folk pride
themselves on being Friendly Folk and indeed we are! We do however
PINCH and I do not mean pinching cuttings from shows or nurseries or
friends’ fuchsias, but our OWN plants!
By pinching we mean
pinching
out the growth point at the end of the stem or branches and thus
stopping
further upward growth. The growth point may be
pinched out between finger and thumb (thus the term), but it is much
easier and safer to use sharp fine-pointed scissors. Stopping is a
more appropriate term to use since growth in height is literally
slowed, but the terms are interchangeable; nipping too is used.
Most fuchsia cultivars
do not branch much spontaneously (self-branching) and will grow into
long lanky specimens with sparse flowers, whereas man-made more
compact plants with dense flowers are much more pleasing. Fuchsias
furthermore flower on the terminal 2-3 axils at the end of branches,
and the more branches a plant has the more flowers it will produce.
Pinching or stopping is
an essential aspect of successful fuchsia growing:
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Repeatedly taking out
the growth tip forces the plant to grow lower side shoots after
every stop, resulting in a compact floriferous plant after
only 4-5 stops.
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Pinching controls the
onset of flowering. Pinching prevents flowering at the tips of
branches and if continued longterm a
large specimen with no flowers will result. Stopping is
therefore discontinued well before flowering time in
October-November. The last stop for singles should be 6-8 weeks
before the desired date of flowering, 8-10 weeks for
semi-doubles and 10-12 weeks for doubles.
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Pinched shoots make
good cuttings for rooting.
The
first stop is made when the young stem has developed 2 pairs of
leaves. This encourages 4 side shoots to grow from each
axil below the “pinch”. The new side
shoots in turn are stopped after 2 pairs of leaves have grown, and
this process of pinching out the growth tips of fresh branches is
repeated several times.
The often quoted
arithmetic calculation that stopping after the first 2 pairs of
leaves results in 4 side shoots (one from each leaf
axil), which when stopped in turn at 2
sets of leaves gives 16 new side branches and so on is not quite
true. Side shoots always grow from the 2 axils at the node just
below the pinch giving 2 new branches, but not always from the lower
axils. Self-branching cultivars will more readily grow side shoots
from every axil below the pinch.
Whether you stop at 1, 2
or 3 or even 4 pairs of leaves depends on the cultivar. If the
cultivar is short-jointed, i.e. the distance between successive
nodes or leaf sets is short, pinch at every second or third node.
Cultivars with long internodes and large double blooms are tightly
stopped at every node,
so as to control the size of the plant and to obtain shorter
branches better able to support the flower load.
Some experts make the
first 3 stops after only one set of leaves so as to create an
8-branch low sturdy framework for subsequent growth.
For baskets always
allow 2-3 leaf sets to grow before stopping in order to cover the
requisite 2/3 of the sides of the container, but the plant in the
middle (of 5 in a basket) is stopped more frequently so as to get
dense cover in the centre.
Standards are not stopped
at all until the desired height of the stem is reached, but
thereafter are stopped as for any bush to create the head.
The following further
points must be considered:
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Most fuchsias have 2
leaves at each node, and should be stopped at 2 sets of leaves
to allow consecutive new shoots to face north-south and
east-west for a symmetrical shape and maximum exposure of the
leaves to light. |
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Slow-growing
cultivars such as Dawn Fantasia or Eleanor
Leytham should be stopped less frequently to avoid a
crowded plant which will be at risk of botrytis; conversely a
vigorous plant is stopped more frequently.
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It takes about 3-4
weeks after each stop for the new shoots to grow sufficiently to
be stopped again.
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Whether
“nail-pinched” or using a fine pair of
scissors do be careful NOT to damage the growth buds in
the leaf axils. Wait until you can pinch the new side shoots
leaving at least a 3-4mm stump to allow for some dieback to
occur without damage to the growth bud; on the other hand there
is no point in wasting the plant’s energy by allowing several
leaf sets to grow if you intend to pinch at the first set.
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Selective stopping is
used to improve the shape and symmetry of the plant - stop some
branches at one leaf set and others after 2-3 sets of leaves so
as to ensure a balanced shape or to cover a bare patch.
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Near normal flowering
time every time a plant is stopped it will delay flowering by
6-8 weeks for single cultivars (last date for late November
flowering is early October), 8-10 weeks for semi-doubles/small
doubles(late September) and 10-12 weeks for large doubles(early
September) – do time your last pinch carefully. Different
cultivars vary in the time of the last stop to flowering –
ideally you should keep a diary of stopping times!
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Triphyllas
have single flowers but require 12-14 weeks to flower after the
last pinch (late August). |
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Variegated cultivars
are grown for their foliage and not the flowers, stopping should
be continued until 3-4 weeks before the show since the best
foliage colour is found on young growth.
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When buds are visible
at one branch buds will show on the other branches within 7-10
days and the plant will flower in 4-6 weeks – in this situation
stopping times may be reduced by about 10days.
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All stops must be made at the same time
to ensure balanced growth and simultaneous flowering for maximum
impact. Check the next few days after a stop for any you may
have missed.
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Make sure of the
correct timing of the penultimate stop (the one before the final
last stop). If this stop is mistimed the side shoots will not
have had sufficient growth to be pinched at the last intended
stop and the plant will not be in full bloom at show time.
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If you have more than
one plant of the same cultivar space the last stops by 5-7 days
so as to have at least one plant in full flower at show time
should the weather not cooperate.
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Plants in the garden
require less stopping – normal movement in the breeze seems to
encourage spontaneous side shoots. The Japanese brush their
plants with a fine brush 2-3 times a day to simulate natural
movement for this reason!
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If leaves are
alternate – one leaf at a node (and not the usual two at a node)
as they often are in triphylla -
stopping will result in only one new branch. |
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For the vigorous long
internode cultivar the
double-single stop may be used early in the
plant’s life. Stop the plant after the first set of leaves and
(double) stop the 2 new shoots again BEFORE the first set of
leaves have grown. Two side shoots will now grow from each
axil and 4 branches at each node
(instead of two). It takes some courage and slows down growth
but will result in a strong low framework. This may also be done
at later stops.
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Encliandra
cultivars, which usually branch easily, do not require careful
stopping and rough trimming with scissors does the job of
shaping well.
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Work your way
backwards from the show date when calculating stopping times and
play safe by allowing another week between the penultimate stop
and the final stop in case the weather slows down the rate of
growth. Cultivars which flower in flushes such as
Shelford will do so for several
weeks, and for plenty of blooms at show time make the last stop
early rather than late. The flowering process cannot be speeded
up if you run short of time!
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Early flowers which
will be over their best by the show must be removed up to 2-3
weeks before the show date. Individual flowers last up to 10-14
days. |
Much of the above is
aimed at the Annual Show but all of it is applicable if you simply
grow for your own pleasure.
Pinching
Schedule
22 August - 104 days to the show
Penultimate pinch large doubles
29 August - 97 days to the show
Last pinch for Triphylla types
5 September - 90 days to the show
Penultimate pinch for semi-doubles and small doubles
12 September - 83 days to show
Last pinch for large doubles
19 September - 76 days to the show
Penultimate pinch for large singles
26 September - 69 days to the show
Last pinch for Semi-doubles and small doubles
Penultimate pinch for medium and small singles
10 October - 55 days to the show
Last pinch for large singles
17 October - 48 days to the show
Last pinch for medium and small singles
