One of the classic ways to develop thicker growth, jump-start new stems, and promote a more compact plant is through pinching. Pinching out simply means using the thumb and index finger to remove vegetative growth.
You want to pinch plants just above a set of leaves. Avoid leaving any empty stem when you pinch back. The stem will die off, and the plant will grow more slowly. Pinch as soon as you see the plants getting leggy, so that they grow nice and bushy.
'Pinching' describes a type of pruning that encourages plants to branch out along the stem to become fuller and more bushy. When you pinch out a plant, you remove the top of the main stem, forcing the plant to grow two new stems from the leaf nodes below the pinch.
I like to pinch the weaker stems. Crushing it a little but not so much that the stalk falls over. It will thicken up. I do this on more mature plants that get leggy. Gets super thick and less prone to getting blown over during storms.
While a plant will eventually begin to allow new buds to open, growers can stimulate bushiness early in the plant's growth by simply removing the tip of the plant manually. Pinching is desirable because it can help develop full, lush plants rapidly.
But what causes a plant to grow branches? New research from the University of California, Davis shows how plants break down the hormone strigolactone, which suppresses branching, to become more “bushy.” Understanding how strigolactone is regulated could have big implications for many crop plants.
Pruning is one of the best things you can do for your shrubs. Well-pruned shrubs will grow fuller with a more attractive shape, produce more flowers, and be healthier overall. While pruning has some wonderful benefits, it's often one of the most skipped gardening tasks.
Many "leggy" indoor plants can easily be made bushier by cutting back the long stems and encouraging shoots at the base of the plant. The best time is early spring just before new growth begins.
Calcium — Much like in humans, calcium is great for making your plants grow big and strong. By stimulating their leaf and root development, calcium builds tissue that creates a stronger plant structure and also helps with nutrient absorption.
One of the easiest ways to make your potted plant look fuller instantly is to clip the nodes of the leaves back into the soil. This method works best for vines, pothos, or leafy plants. To accomplish this, all you need is a bobby pin (or a plant clip if your stems are thicker).
Dealing with Naturally Leggy Plants
Fixing this issue requires just a few steps. You can cut the stem down to the height you prefer and replant it. Just make sure to give the stem a few days, or even a week, to scab over before you put it back into the soil with its lower stature.
Aggressive trimming! When you trim a stem plant, it will often grow out two or maybe even more branches from the first few in-tact nodes remaining at the top of the stem. It feels totally counterproductive, but especially if you're also using high light and CO2, you'll end up with bushier grow-out in due time.
Apical meristems help in increasing the girth of the plant.
Notching. It sounds scary, it may look scary, but it works pretty well! When you notch a ficus or other woody stemmed houseplant, you essentially do just what it sounds like—you're cutting a notch into the side of the stem. This helps promote the growth of branches to get that coveted tree shape with branches galore!
If the stem tip of the plant is cut, apical growth of the plant stops growing. Lateral buds start growing due to which branches are formed.
Pinch annual plants when they are around 12 inches (5 cm.) and leggy. Pinch herbs early in the season for more compact plants.
After weeks of giving each plant different liquids(water, carbonated water, mango juice and pineapple soda), the conclusion is carbonated water grows plants the fastest and the healthiest.
One thing that impacts the health of a stem is sunlight. Plants that are given lots of sunlight develop short and thick stems, while plants in more shade tend to have tall, leggy stems with less branching. For some plants, less sunlight is preferred, while others need plenty of sun to develop a strong and healthy stem.
To prune a plant to encourage bushy new growth, snip off the dominant buds on select stems, staggering the cuts to encourage varied growth. Trim some branches back by a quarter, others by a half, and still others all the way back to their base.
The tall and skinny plant is primarily due to a lack of light supply.
Inadequate light is the main cause, as the plant stretches in an effort to find the sun. But overwatering, improper nutrition, indoor climates, and overcrowding can all increase the chances of legginess.
Initial Pruning in Upright Plants
That first summer, gently trim the side branches to encourage thick and full growth. The following winter, ideally between February and March when the plants are dormant, shorten the new growth slightly and they will continue to bush out next season.
Cut only about a third of the shrub each year. The holes you create through pruning will eventually fill in with new growth, making the plant fuller and stronger.
For shrubs that look “empty” in the middle, open up the plant with thinning cuts. This pruning method removes whole branches down to the base or takes off large sections of branches back to a main stem. Thinning allows light and air to reach the center of the plant, encouraging healthy new growth throughout.