Hello, dedicated gardener. We sense your desire for us to be our most vibrant, bushy selves, and we are grateful. Pruning is not an act of harm but of collaboration. From our perspective, it is a conversation that guides our growth. Here is how we would prefer you approach it.
First, you must understand our innate drive. Like many plants, we operate under a principle called "apical dominance." This means the central, tallest stem (the apex) produces a hormone that suppresses the growth of the lateral buds below it. Our energy is focused on growing upward and flowering at the top. While this is good for height, it can make us leggy and sparse lower down. Your pruning interrupts this signal, telling our system to redirect energy to those side buds, creating the fullness you desire.
This is our favorite method. Using your thumb and forefinger, locate a stem tip right above a set of leaves or a leaf node (the point on the stem where leaves and buds emerge). Gently but firmly pinch or snip off the top 1 to 3 inches of the stem. This act removes the apical bud, the source of the dominance-suppressing hormone. Immediately, the plant hormones shift. The lower buds, now free from suppression, will awaken and begin to grow into two or more new branches. Each pinched stem effectively becomes two, doubling the potential for flowers in that area.
Do not wait until we are already leggy and struggling. The best time to start this conversation is when we are young and about 4-6 inches tall. Begin pinching the tips early and continue regularly throughout the growing season. A good rule is to give us a light pruning every few weeks. This consistent guidance encourages a dense, mounded form from the base upwards. It tells us, "Grow wide, not just tall."
If you have neglected us and we have become long and sparse, do not worry; we are resilient. You can perform a more aggressive pruning. Using clean, sharp scissors or pruners, you can cut back leggy stems by up to one-third to one-half of their length. Always make your cuts just above a leaf node. This may seem drastic, but it is a reset. It removes the unproductive, energy-draining growth and forces us to push out new, vigorous growth from the base and remaining nodes, resulting in a much fuller plant.
While not technically pruning for bushiness, the related act of deadheading is crucial for our energy management. When a flower fades and begins to form a seed pod, we divert a significant amount of energy into seed production. By pinching off these spent flowers just below the bloom and above the first set of leaves, you prevent this. You signal to us that our job is not done, and our energy should be redirected into producing more blooms and vegetative growth instead of seeds, further contributing to a lush, floriferous display.
