How do you pinch petnuias?

i've been told you have to "pinch" petunias so that they grow better. what exactly does it mean to "pinch" the plant? how do you do it and under what circumstances?

How do you pinch petnuias?
Pruning can stimulate greater flowering of some cultivars of petunias. Cut back plants as needed leaving approximately one-half of the shoot.


After perennials have bloomed, spent flowers and seed pods should be removed. Keep in mind that some flowers do not require deadheading since the seed pods are either not very visible or are quite attractive. Cut the flower stem back to a healthy leaf or side branch. This will keep the plants looking neater and will prevent them from wasting energy by producing seeds. Some perennials reproduce by seeds and these volunteer plants can become overcrowded and invasive. Deadheading will reduce the problem. Some perennials can be forced to rebloom if cut back after the first flush of flowers.


Some perennials will produce thicker and fuller growth if the terminal is pinched. This reduces the height and decreases the likelihood that the plant will be blown over by wind or rain or from the weight of large, heavy flowers. The result is a more compact plant with more, but sometimes smaller, flowers. Pinching often delays flowering. Plants that respond to pinching include chrysanthemums, asters, and phlox. Start pinching in early spring when the shoots are several inches long and discontinue by early July.
Reply:You pinch the ends off like trimming them or pruning but we call it pinching. Other wise the get long and scraggly. This will keep them bushier and healthier looking.
Reply:Pinch petunias when they are six inches tall to promote branching. If you have a plant with a single main stem but you really want a bushy plant and plenty of flowers then you can pinch out (remove) the tip of the main stem to encourage the lateral (side) shoots to develop.
Reply:Some people call this "dead-heading" as well. Basically, as the flowers die, you just pinch off the spent bloom. This promotes new blooms.