Pinching out cosmos

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barbarella

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Pinching out cosmos
« on: May 19, 2013, 11:40 »
When I decided to write this post, I did a search and realised I had asked exactly the same question last year - should I pinch out my cosmos seedlings to encourage sideshoots?  I am growing Cosmos Purity this year and pinched out some of the plants in the greenhouse a couple of weeks ago.  So far I haven't seen any sideshoots so I am wondering if this is the right thing to do.  Ask Adam from Gardener's World magazine says you shouldn't - http://www.gardenersworld.com/ask-adam-five/ - but other websites say you should. 

Any thoughts please?

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mumofstig

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2013, 11:43 »
Purity does grow upright and rather tall, I don't think pinching out would make much difference to it's natural growth pattern - can't see that it would do any harm though ;)

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LilacSandy

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2013, 11:52 »
With Cosmos rather than pinching out you need to keep harvesting the flowers and not let them go to seed and they will bush out and keep going till the Autumn frosts.

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devonbarmygardener

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2013, 17:22 »
Deadhead regularly as well and they'll produce more flowers.

I never pinch anything out!! Just don't think about it. My white cosmos 'Psyche' was up to 4ft tall last year and the 'Polidor Mixed' cosmos just bush out on their own. :)

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barbarella

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2013, 11:01 »
Thanks for all your useful replies.  Sorry I didn't acknowledge them sooner but I forgot to tick the box to be notified of replies and thought no-one had answered! 

My cosmos plants aren't in flower yet - they are still being hardened off in pots ready to go in the garden as soon as we get some decent weather.

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Sweetpea C

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2013, 11:43 »
Thanks for all your useful replies.  Sorry I didn't acknowledge them sooner but I forgot to tick the box to be notified of replies and thought no-one had answered! 

My cosmos plants aren't in flower yet - they are still being hardened off in pots ready to go in the garden as soon as we get some decent weather.

Decent weather - wouldn't that be nice?! I don't pinch out cosmos either, just pick and pick and pick and pick the lovely flowers :-)!
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surbie100

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #6 on: May 23, 2013, 20:34 »
Very useful thread, thanks! I'm growing cosmos for the first time this year and have 6 very sturdy plants in pots all waiting for space to be cleared on the plot.

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casper

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #7 on: May 27, 2013, 19:53 »
Oh you just reminded me, I got some of those in a magazine, would it be too late to sow them now  :unsure:

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Stree

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #8 on: May 27, 2013, 21:44 »
I too have Cosmos Bipinnata Psyche white this year again, and they are tall and single stemmed. I am also trying Cosmos Brightness, a dwarf variety in a multitude of colours.
Because they are single stemmed I would not pinch them out, they do not branch naturally and I think if the were pinched out they may in desperation try to grow on from lower down the stem but this to my mind would be under duress, and a distressed plant is never a happy or healthy plant.
Admittedly, some plants take pinching out quite well and just get on a grow, but most of these are multistemmed to begin with and pinching them out merely encourages this trait to the gardeners advantage.
Deadheading is as far as I will go with cosmos. Some plants just aint suited to it, I mean, would you pinch out foxgloves or lupins or peonies?
Just my instinct, but cosmos should be left as is.

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devonbarmygardener

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Re: Pinching out cosmos
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2013, 22:38 »
My Psyche White branched out on it's own last year - had 3 or 4 flowers near the top of each stem.
They got to 4ft tall and higher too!

Made my pots look a bit daft! :D



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