The Results
“Pinching dahlias early and cutting deep into the plant during harvest will result in a steady plant with many long-stemmed flowers”
Learn why pruning dahlias is essential to abundant harvest
Pinch, prune, top, tip – they all mean the same thing – trimming dahlia stems to improve the shape and productivity of the plant.
It’s important to take care of that when the plant is approximately 6″ tall (and formed 3-5 sets of leaves). The tip will be tender enough to snip easily by hand and the plant will be young enough to form a tight seal. Doing so at a later stage may result in a hollow stem, an inviting space for pests.
Pinching signals the plant hormones to begin producing flowering stems, which will emerge in 7 days.
Container-grown dahlias will benefit from an additional pinching performed on the flowering branches in the same manner – by removing the tips after 3 sets of leaves. This will result in a sturdier trunk and a luscious, uniform shrub covered in flowers.
