Pinching out cosmos

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

I got these 2 at a plant fair last month (still haven't got around to planting )

There is one bud at the top of each & one coming on each of the side shoots from the bottom

If I pinch them out now will they get bushier? If so where should I pinch? How far down to stop them being so leggy?

& should I also pinch subsequent side shoots so that they bush out?

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

Sorry about fismos. I thought it had autocorrected

[IonaMumsnet]

Hi there, OP! We've edited the title for you now.

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

oh thank you, Iona

[SugarPlumTree]

Far from an expert but I think I would do the one of the left, the main stem down to about the second set of leaves amd leave the one on the right.

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

Do you watch Gardener's World? Monty did his a couple of weeks ago - perhaps you can catch it on iPlayer. From what I remember he just hacked the tops off!

[TheOneWiththeNicestSmile]

Thanks, both

Sugarplum, do you mean the wide pair of leaves or the narrower pair below?

Cupcakes, there are 4 episodes on iplayer - do you happen to remember which one it was? (Though it looks like they all get shown on 4 separate occasions so I can see it would be hard to be sure!)

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mw1h/broadcasts/2015/06

Though actually it might be quite nice to just have a massive GW session & watch them all. I used to watch it ages ago but got out of the habit

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

Ermmm.. no. Sorry! I vaguely remember he was planting them around something REALLY big. Maybe his banana tree?

Might have to be the mammoth GW session.

[aircooled]

Most important thing is to get them planted out, then they can take off. I always have a collection of plants at this time of year that haven't made it into the ground - just need to make myself plant them so I don't waste time watering them in the pots every day!

[Ferguson]

Even if you can't get them in the garden yet, at least pot them into much larger pots of compost. Keep well watered, and water when planted out.

[Not a banana tree but New Zealand Flax I think, Phormium Tenax.]