How to Pinch Dahlias for a Healthier Plant and More Flowers

Everyone sees those photos with fields of dahlias and wonders, "How does one plant produce so many flowers?" Well, as counterintuitive as it might seem, by cutting the plant early, a process known as pinching, you will increase the production and health of the plant, and guarantee exponentially more dahlias throughout the growing season.

What is pinching?

Pinching is the process of removing the growing tip of a stem to encourage lateral growth. By doing this early in the season, you are training your plant to have more stems and flowers throughout its life. If not pinched, dahlias will grow like a tree with one big trunk that produces few blooms at the top. Before we discuss when and how to pinch, let's talk about why it's important for overall health and appearance.

When to Pinch Dahlias?

The pinched growing tips from around the Restoring Eden garden.

Pinching dahlia plants is best done early in the season. For most climates, it is recommended to pinch dahlias between the time they have between two and four sets of leaves. In very hot climates, you may need to wait until the plants have ten or twelve leaves.

How to Pinch Dahlias?

It's really quite simple: using your thumb and forefinger or garden shears, simply remove the growing tip of each stem right above an existing leaf node (the point where a leaf attaches). That's it! It sounds strange that removing part of your plant would actually improve its health and production, but this action encourages side branching, which will in turn create more flowers.

For dahlias specifically, pinch for the first time once when the plants are about 12-14” tall. For (AA) large size dahlias, you typically leave 2-3 sets of leaves, while you might leave 4-5 sets of leaves for a (BB) small-sized flower.

How many times do I pinch?

Pinching the plant will create more branches and flowers, but it is important to remember to continue pinching or cutting back, throughout the growing season. The ideal time for a second pinch is just after your first flush and before any flowers go to seed. By this point in the season, most dahlia plants have branched out already, so you'll want to cut back on these new stems by about half of their length. Afterward, watch with delight as even more stems flourish and new buds begin opening up along those same stems! The power of multiplication.

Ongoing Support

In addition to pinching, for optimal health, you may also need to perform some maintenance by removing any dead leaves or spent blooms from your dahlia plant during its lifetime. This will keep the plant looking its best and ensure that it stays healthy and thriving.

While pinching can feel counterintuitive, remember that pinching ensures a healthier, more bushy dahlia plant and more flowers for your garden. If left to its own devices, you'll be like '2015 Coty' that had a 9 foot tall Kelvin Floodlight growing out of control. If I had known to pinch, I wouldn't have had to spend so much time fighting that monstrosity of a dahlia!