What does "pinching the top" mean?
Today's introduction to the common knowledge of flower cultivation, what does "pinching the top" mean, is explained as follows:
Some flower friends don't know what "pinching the top" means. To make plants grow well, it is necessary to follow their growth laws. Pinching the top and removing the growing tip are both to comply with the law of apical dominance. Pinching the top encourages the plant to produce more lateral buds, leaves, and flowers. The most obvious example is茉莉 (Jasmine). Since it started flowering and had its top pinched at the end of May, within about a month, it has produced many new branches from the lateral branches, and the flower buds have also become bigger and more numerous. Therefore, plants that have been pinched or had their growing tips removed avoid excessive growth and instead become stronger and more lush.
Pinching the top: 1. Removing the top of some crops to increase yield, also known as topping. The principle of topping is to remove the growing point of the stem to inhibit auxin secretion, with the aim of suppressing vegetative growth and promoting reproductive growth, making the plant produce more flowers and fruits, because plants that usually need topping are fruit trees. It is also called removing "apical dominance."
Pinching the growing tip, also known as topping, is a task of dealing with reserved main branches, basic branches, or lateral branches. Pinching is determined based on the purpose and method of cultivation, as well as the growth type of the variety. When the reserved main branches, basic branches, or lateral branches reach a certain number of fruit clusters, leaves, or length, their top growing points are removed (the main stem that self-tops does not need to be pinched). Pinching can control the growth in height and length, which is conducive to thicker growth and faster fruit development.
What does "self topping" mean? It refers to the plant's own top bud stopping growth at a certain time. Therefore, there is no need to pinch. When to pinch depends on different plants. After searching online for some plants, I have summarized as follows:
Pelargonium: When the new branches have grown 7 leaves, they can be pinched, removing 3 leaves and leaving 4.
Tomato: Tomato seedlings are not pinched, but lateral buds are pinched. All lateral branches that sprout should be removed early to reduce the consumption of nutrients by lateral branches, and the removal of lateral branches should be done on a sunny morning to reduce the chance of infection by bacteria.
Basil: Transplant after growing more than 6 true leaves. Continuously pinch to promote branching growth. To delay senescence, remove the flower buds when they appear! There are pictures and truth:
The above is the specific content of what "pinching the top" means, for everyone's reference and operation.