No-Pinch Techniques for Young Plants

Pinching liners is a common practice, but also an additional production cost and a potential route of disease transmission. Recently, interest has grown in “no-pinch” techniques. Plant growth regulators with active ingredients including ethephon have often been used to chemically “pinch” or induce branching. Products containing cytokinins like benzyladenine, a phytohormone, can also induce lateral branching and have traditionally been used in Echinacea and Hosta. Products containing cytokinin are also associated with high incidence of phytotoxicity, limiting their use in young plant production.

The following information is a culmination of research on no-pinch techniques using plant growth regulators. See below, for an example of the effects observed in response to the various plant growth regulators and rates applied in the studies.

Methods

Application volume: 0.5 gal per 100 sq ft

Application timing: Roots reach cell edge, sometimes in place of pinch or 1 week post-pinch

Tray size: 102-cell tray for all annual species, 72-cell tray for perennial species

Plants from all treatments were grown out in 4” containers to evaluate treatment effects on finished plant quality (pot fill and flower date).

Trials were implemented between Weeks 5 and 20 between 2023 and 2025 under supplemental lighting with an average DLI of 5-8 mols/day.

These trials were conducted under specific conditions and are not all encompassing of environmental conditions or cultural practices. Read all labels and trial small groups prior to implementing these techniques on a commercial scale.

Read here and find all the information for No-Pinch Techniques for Young Plants in pdf form.