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pinching out the soft shoot tips with scissors, a knife or your finger nail.Repeat the pinching 2 or 3 more times, allowing two pairs of leaves to expand fully on each of the subsequent side shoots. This may take between 10 and 20 days, depending

The method of stopping a plant growing upwards by removing the growing tip, thereby encouraging the development of side shoots.

seed. Bedding plants benefit most from daily deadheading as it will extend the life of the plants and encourage them to continue producing more flowers through the summer.Scissors, floral snips or secateursMarch - late-August10 minutes a dayThe dying

Pinch out fuchsias Ensure bushy growth and masses of flower, by pinching out the tips of fuchsia regularly. This encourages side shoots and strengthens the growth to support the weight of summer flowers. Pinch out three or four times from spring

Pinch out tomato sideshoots developing from the main stemFit automatic vent openers to help control air flow and fit extra low-level louvre vents if requiredTie in tomato shoots to their supports. Water daily to prevent the compost drying out, which

, and damp down the floor every morningBe on the lookout for pests, including whitefly and red spider mite, and treat at once with a suitable spray or biological controlPot up rooted cuttingsPinch out the tips of cucumber sideshoots two leaves beyond a female

Take cuttings from pelargoniums and fuchsias Repot rooted cuttings into containers a size larger, to prevent them from becoming pot-boundCheck plants regularly for signs of pestsPinch out the tips of rooted cuttings to encourage bushy plants

Water crops in growing bags and pots daily, adding a liquid feed once a weekIntroduce biological controls if you have discovered pests, such as whitefly and red spider mitePinch out developing sideshoots on tomato stemsTrain cucumbers and tomatoes

Sow sweet peas in deep pots and pinch out shoot tips once two pairs of leaves have developedCut back old stems of mallow (Lavatera) to ground level, taking care not to harm new shootsPlant hedging plantsPrune down stems of dogwoods, willows, cotinus

', 'Laxton's Epicure' and 'George Cave'Sow parsley in pots for winter and spring useThin out heavy crops of plums to prevent branches snappingHang wasp traps in fruit treesPinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce ripe