March 13, 2011

pinching

Many gesneriads grow more beautifully with a bit of pinching.  Episcia, for example, will grow larger leaves if you pinch off extraneous stolons. After the main crown has had time to grow, you might want to let just a select number of stolons to grow from it - this will help produce a nice bushy cluster.

pinched tips

Columnea and Achimenes are other examples - pinching will encourage branching, and branching means a bushier habit and more flower potential. 

tips

Spring is a great time to do some judicious pinching - and the larger pinched tips can be turned into propagation material.