A Few Questions

9 years ago

Hey everyone! I'm quite new to gardening and have a few questions that I am hoping you guys can answer for me. Firstly, I have read about "pinching" plants to grow bushier. Exactly how do you do that and when is the best time to do this to plants? Secondly, exactly what is moist soil? Is that where you just spray the plant with water in a spray bottle? Or, is it considered moist soil when you give the plant a good soaking and you have water draining through the drain holes? I am really having a hard time figuring some of this stuff out and I think that's why I am not being very successful this year with just about anything I am planting from seed into the ground. For example, I planted a moonflower seed about a month ago. I watered it almost nightly because it's facing the West and the afternoon sun dries out everything on that side quickly. Anyhow, it popped up in about 10 days or so and I continued watering almost nightly. Now it's about 3 or 4 inches tall and it looks mangled. Almost like it has been nibbled on. Would the hot sun do this? Am I watering it too much? I don't do anything else to it at all. Heck I don't even know what type of soil we have here lol. Any help would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone

Comment (1)

Bloomin_Onion
9 years ago
Could you post a pic of the damage, or "munched" parts? Pinching plants basically means you cut off the ends to a certain degree, so the plant has no where to grow at that point but "out" in the form of new branches, rather than "up", looking spindly. Doing this ... the process, if you would even do it, and the technique behind it all depends on WHAT plant you'd be pruning. What kind of plant is it? Moist soil is when you water the plant, and water comes out through the drain holes, then you leave it alone until when you stick your finger in, it's dry to the first knuckle, then you water it again. Rarely do any plants need watering every day unless as you mentioned with your outdoor plant, it gets hot afternoon sun and the water just evaporates and the ground gets dry... but even then, every day might be a bit much. Remember the soil beneath the surface may still be damp. Just see if you can stick your finger in, or shove a stick in the ground, and dig up a SMALL amount of dirt after one day of no watering... is the dirt dark and damp or is it dry and dusty?
It's easy for a plant to grow "leggy" or more tall with fewer stems than bushy and leafy... but mangled? That sounds like a pest problem.
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