Pinching is mostly a waste of time. It will not stop new growth, but the plant will try to put out new grwoth in the same place that you just pinched it out. This technique is effective if your goal is to keep the plant looking exactly the same and you are willing to keep pinching ad infinitum. It does not promote bushinessPruning is much more effective for keeping plants looking full and bushy. For trailing plants, such as ivies, periodically cut back the longest stems to within a few inches of the soil line. Remember this: new growth always emerges at the ends of the cut stems. Thus, if you want to promote new growth close to the pot, the you have to prune the stems back close to the pot.
Many tree-like plants, such as Ficus, also benefit from regular pruning. The pruning will help promote new growth in the center of the tree.
Plants that have a single growing point, such as African violet, should not pe pruned or pinched. The same is true for palms. For these plants, once the growing tip is removed it will stop growing.
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Printer-friendly view of this garden