Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Tuesday 13 October 2026 · mid spring
Pinch Growing Tips for Bushier Plants
Pinching out the tips of young fuchsia and basil plants in mid spring encourages them to grow bushy rather than tall and thin.
5 minuteseasypruning
Locate the central growing stem on a young fuchsia or basil plant.
Find the top set of leaves at the very tip of that stem.
Use your thumb and forefinger to pinch off the soft tip just above the next pair of leaves down.
Repeat this process on any long side shoots if the plant is already branching out.
Why it works
Removing the main tip stops the plant from sending energy upward. This triggers dormant buds lower down the stem to grow into new branches, resulting in a fuller plant with more leaf and flower sites.
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