Expert: C.L. Fornari - 3/28/2008

Question
An expert on the forum mentioned that some annuals should not be pinched.  I grow everything from seed, and with many of the flowers now I'm at the stage where they could be pinched--Dusty Miller, Lavatera, etc.  

Could you tell me which annuals definitely should NOT be pinched?  I've just done the Bidens, without being sure if I should, and am wondering about Carthamus tinctoria which I haven't grown before.  I'm guessing that Statice should not...is there a rule of thumb?

thanks for your time.

Answer
Rosemary,
You don't have to pinch the dusty miller, Lavatera or the Carthamus...and you're right about no pinching for the statice.  As far as I know there is no rule of thumb, but there IS a great book that sounds like it's right up your alley.  It's called "Ball Culture Guide" by Jim Nau - published by Ball Publishing. It lists all the commonly grown plants and tells you when to start, how many weeks until plantable, germination temperature, blooming period AND whether to pinch or not pinch each variety. Not only does it have these charts for growing, but it also has information about growing the plants on in the home garden.  I use mine all the time.

I hope this helps,
C.L.
www.gardenlady.com