‘No Pinch’ Techniques for Young Plant Liners

Pinching liners is a common practice, but also an additional production cost and a potential route of disease transmission. Recently, interest has grown in “no-pinch” techniques. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) with active ingredients including ethephon have often been used to chemically “pinch” or induce branching. Additionally, products containing cytokinins like benzyladenine, a phytohormone, can also induce lateral branching and have traditionally been used in Echinacea and Hosta. However, products containing cytokinin are also associated with a high incidence of phytotoxicity, limiting their use in young plant production.

Ball Seed has recently put together a report through research on no-pinch techniques using PGRs, using the following materials and methods:

• Application volume: 0.5 gallon per 100 square feet
• Application timing: Roots reached the cell edge, sometimes in place of pinch or one week post-pinch
• Tray size: 102-cell tray for annuals, 72-cell tray for perennials

Plants from all treatments were grown out in 4-inch containers to evaluate treatment effects on finished plant quality (pot fill and flower date). Trials were implemented between Weeks 5 and 20 between 2023 and 2025, using supplemental lighting with an average DLI of 5-8 mols/day.

Trialed varieties included:

• Angelonia ‘Angel Dance’
• Coreopsis ‘Uptick’
• Euphorbia ‘Breathless’
• Lantana ‘Purple Falls’
• Nemesia ‘Aromatica’
• Sanvitalia ‘Tsavo Compact’
• Verbena ‘Firehouse’

Ball Seed notes that these trials were conducted under specific conditions and are not all-encompassing of environmental conditions or cultural practices. Within the report, please read all labels and trial small groups prior to implementing these techniques on a commercial scale.

For additional information on the varieties trialed and observed effects, read the full No Pinch Techniques for Young Plants report here.