Backyard
Gardener
A Little Pinch Does A Plant Good Story and Photos by Kat Long/Contributing Writer
Two fun days this month: National Weed Your Garden Day on June 13, followed by Flag Day on June 14. The history of Flag Day dates back to June 14, 1777, when the British flag was replaced with the 13 stars and stripes. Flag Day became official in 1949 when President Truman signed legislation to make June 14 Flag Day every year. Traditionally, Flag Day is viewed as a time to honor the flag of the United States and its representation of freedom, our country’s ideals and this nation’s people. Flag Day is June 14 each year, and this year falls on a Tuesday. So let your Flag fly with yard flags, purchase a new flag for your flagpole or get your Fourth of July decorations out early to celebrate. I think it is important we understand the meaning of our national holidays. If you have a flag that needs replacing, there is a flag drop off location for your old/tattered/torn flag at the Parks & Recreation office, 905 W. Hartford. Now, on to the flowers. Let’s talk about pinching those flowers … Many plants benefit from a pinch here and a pinch there. Herbs, such as basil, tarragon, dill or salad burnet, will grow wider and produce more if you give them little pinches here and there. Pinch tops off herbs when they start to flower. Basil is a lover of the pinch. These extra little leaves make dinner (no matter what you are cooking) much tastier. Another pinching/trimming trick is with pepper flowers. Pinching off those first flowers will tell your pepper plant to put more energy into the leaves and roots. This gives you a sturdier, wider plant which last well into the fall since our pepper season can sometimes continue past
September or even October. Just pinch those little flower stems or suckers. Another practice is called “topping” your pepper plants. The very top leaves hold most of the growth hormone of the plant. Take sharp, clean clippers or scissors and cut right under the Y at the top of the plant. This tells the plant to grow out, not up, just like pinching the flowers. Now you know. Pinching Mums Technically, pinching mums is more like pruning, but pinching will work. Mums benefit from one to three pinches spaced about a month apart between May and July. Remove shoot tips with garden shears or your fingers, taking care to make a clean break just above a leaf node. Some plants may need some extra pinching to get them into shape on the sides, but stop pinching altogether before the end of July. This pinching should produce nicely compact bushy growth with lots and lots of flower buds in the late summer and fall. Pinching Tomatoes The first couple of years of growing plants, I didn’t know nothing about birthin’ no tomatoes and the plants did OK. Then, a few years ago, I found a booklet called “300 Helpful Tomato Hints” or something along those lines. I read it and swore I would follow the tenants set up by the booklet. However, good intentions aside, I have not been able to put my hands on the booklet this year. I must confess to having “straightened up” my gardening magazines and books. This has led to being See GARDENING Continued on Page 74
JUNE 2022 73
