Quote:
Originally Posted by PureHarvest
I guess what I was reading about was pinching the lateral's grow tip to get it to produce laterals for more stems.
|
Pinching as you are doing is common and you can either do it that way or disbud the first flower, there are advantages to both methods. If you "top" the first stem your laterals will probably develop faster and you will see the main flush sooner. If you disbud the first stem it is effectively the same as topping - the laterals will develop slightly slower but you will get a bloom from the main stem sooner and this will give you a preview and more time to establish a market before the main flush hits.
Pinching twice is common when dahlias are grown in containers and sold as potted plants. You get more blooms, and a more compact plant, but the stems are too short to use as cut flowers.
Steve