If you are referring to pinching back the plants I just pinched back all of my Salvia's the other day. They were just getting to tall, the shortest one was 8 inches and I still have a number of weeks to go before planting anything outside. I only pinch out the terminal leaves or top most growing tip and even though it's only been a couple of days I am beginning to see side branching popping out so this should help to make the plants nice and bushy. I never pinch side shoots on anything though. I just treated my salvia's like any other plant when it came to pinching them.

Don't go by what I did though because this is my first year to grow any type of Salvia and I could be very wrong. =) I hope the experts here can give you the answer you are searching for.

Cindi

Cindi---thanks for responding. Im in the same boat as this is my first year for salvias. Like I said my salvias are no taller than six inches , but I have some agastache that are taller and I pinched the tops back on those. I read somewhere that if you pinch tops you will get more but smaller flowers and if you pinch the side shoots you will get fewer but bigger flowers. My salvias are really leggy, but the agastache are. I guess I will just play it by ear.

hs, I would pinch the tips of the seedlings, removing only the uppermost pair of leaves. This should cause the plant to produce a pair of new shoots, each emerging from the base of the uppermost pair of leaves that you have left behind. You can repeat this after the new stems have produced a pair or two of leaves, and you should get a pair of new shoots on each pinched-back stem. The goal is to create a bushier plant than would normally occur. i don't think this will influence the size of the flowers, but it might result in more, shorter flower spikes. I think it is generally a good idea. I would be careful mot to over-pinch young, weak seedlings. If they are now outside and growing well you should hurt them by pinching back. but earlier in the spring when many of us are growing weak seedlings in a window or under lights, caution is advised.

Lady

You have a point there and I wish I had started weaning my plants off artificial sooner, but now I can leave my plants out in the shade all day now , havent really pushed in the sun just yet , it will be gradual. I have already started pinching those terminal tips. Yes Ive been reading up on it. Im new at it , maybe Ill be ok thou.