Patch & Pot
All masterclasses

Lesson 2

Pinch, pinch, pinch

Plant cuttings or small plants in spring after last frost — 1 per 5 L pot or 3 per 15 L tub in fresh, rich compost.

Pinch the leading shoot when 15 cm tall. Pinch again 4 weeks later. This double pinch makes the difference between a few flowers and 30+ per plant.

Late-season pinching is the most common mistake — once buds have set (usually mid-July), stop pinching or you'll delay flowering past the first frost.

The chrysanthemum year

  1. 1March: pot up overwintered stools or buy fresh plug plants.
  2. 2Late April: harden off, plant out in final pots after last frost.
  3. 3Mid-May: at 15 cm tall, pinch the leading shoot — make it bushy.
  4. 4Mid-June: pinch again, removing the top 2 leaf pairs of each side shoot.
  5. 5Mid-July: STOP pinching. Let buds form.
  6. 6September–November: flowering. Pick or admire.
  7. 7After first hard frost: cut back to 10 cm, mulch the crown, store cool.
PreviousNext