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Pinching Pinching poinsettias form the architecture of the plants. Plants should be pinched to 5 or 6 nodes using a hard pinch to limit the number of laterals being produced. Hard pinches generally remove the top 0.75 to 1 inch of new growth. Weak stems result and the possibility of lateral stem breakage increases if too many laterals are allowed to develop with a soft pinch. Some growers will also remove the top few leaves after the plant has been pinched to help promote good break development. Stressful environmental conditions (high temperatures and high light) can be detrimental to the development of breaks. Misting the plants and floor to help increase the humidity levels and also providing shading to the plants may help promote the development of breaks.
Timing of pinching Many poinsettia production schedules recommend 7 to 14 days of vegetative growth (long-day conditions) between pinching and start of short days to allow for adequate shoot length for high quality bract displays and sufficient height at bloom. This is a good rule of thumb for medium-vigor cultivars such as 'V-14 Glory', 'Lilo', and 'Red Sails'. However, very vigorous cultivars such as members of the 'Annette Hegg' series may only require 5 to 7 days for sufficient development prior to start of short days. On the other hand, slower developing cultivars such as 'Freedom' 'Celebrate 2', and 'Supjibi' should be scheduled to include 7 to 10 more long days between the pinch date and start of short days than the standard 7 to 14 days recommended for 'V- 14 Glory'. Adjust the scheduled pinch date and start of short days to allow for adequate yet not excessive vegetative growth.
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