Gloechner CARNATION MANUAL 
TWO-YEAR CULTURE—Cont. 
Pinching or heading back for second year production is a gradual process, not a chopping off or mow- 
ing off of plants. Starting about mid-April, pinch back all those shoots which would not flower before 
June 1. As new shoots come along and are long enough to pinch, repeat the procedure. Go over the 
bench at three-week intervals, making the last pinch about July 15. This heading back results in 
much heavier fall and early winter production than the continuous cutting method. 
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During the first year of two-year culture, the cutting or picking of flowers is done at somewhat lower 
levels on the plant than is the case when plants are being grown for only one season. This keeps down 
the overall plant height for the second season. 
The greatest hazard in two-year culture is the unexpected loss of plants during the late summer be- 
tween the two winter-flowering seasons. If the plants start dying out in groups it may then be too late 
to replant with carnations. If these losses are substantial, it is usually best to replace with a bench of 
snapdragons, stocks, etc., rather than nursing along a bench of ailing second-year carnation plants. 
BENCHING 
Particular care should be taken so that bench soils are readily workable and have proper moisture 
content at the time of the benching, otherwise the planting job will be slipshod and the young plants 
will be delayed in getting established. Although the soil need not and should not be worked powder- 
fine, if it is too rough it is difficult to set the plants at the proper depth and spacing, and to provide 
complete contact between soil and roots. Soils that are too wet at planting time are difficult to work, 
whereas soils that are too dry frequently delay the plants in getting established. A grower of any ex- 
perience knows when soils are suited for planting. Failure to put the soil in that condition may adversely 
affect the crop for weeks after planting. 
Do not let the planting operation get far ahead of the watering. Water soon and water thoroughly. 
Set the plants the same depth they were before, or a little shallower. Never set deeper. 
SPACING 
Spacings of 6 x 8, 7 x 7, 8 x 8, or 7 x 9 inches are in common usage. Doubling up with two plants 
or increasing the number of plants in the row across the bench is practiced when plants are too light 
to fill the bench with the regular spacing. Rooted cuttings benched direct, early planted indoor-grown 
plants, or field-grown plants, all can use about the same spacing in the bench. 
PINCHING 
The object of the first pinch is to produce breaks or to cause the young plants to branch. Pinching also 
sets back or impedes the growth of the plant — the lower the pinch the greater the set-back. Pinch 
high, leaving a liberal amount of foliage. Some varieties, such as William Sim and its sports, require 
particularly high pinching. 
The first pinch is made about one month after the cuttings have been potted, banded, flatted or benched. 
Let the second set of shoots reach eight or nine inches in length before pinching them, otherwise they 
will come back one-for-one. 
Pinching is also used to time the crop, bringing in a heavier cut at desired times, and keeping the crop 
down when demand is light. Varieties respond differently in length of time from pinch to bloom, and 
there is also a marked difference in response in any one variety at different seasons of the year. Pinch- 
ing about mid-July has been the rule for bringing a number of varieties to crop in December. Closer 
regulation of timing now seems probable with the advent of the single pinch method used when rooted 
cuttings are benched direct. 
Staggering the second and subsequent pinches through the spring and early summer months is a widely 
followed practice, aimed at spreading out the cut. 
Pinching is done most easily in early morning when the plants are turgid and the tip shoots snap off 
sharply. Spraying with Fermate, Zerlate or Parzate, immediately after pinching is a sound disease- 
prevention procedure. 
