Could someone give me tips on pinching. I don't feel I am doing this correctly and my penta Can show you why I feel this way. I pinch him maybe too much too . I believe I'm pinching other things too much too . Lack of patients is showing in my plants!!! Funny but not when I over stress newer plants this penta has been the same size for 3 months . I'm reporting him today and hoping he gets bigger though winter inside . Or remains good through winter is my first goal...
I read he could be a good house plant? Anyone agree or have experience with Pentas? I'd love to get him to bloom through winter!! Is it possible?

Then this Persian shield. I'm keeping him Thur winter but Idk that I'm pinching him correctly .
The second pic I forgot the lil guys name starts with a c.. but idk how to pinch him either and I didn't all summer all but dead leaves.

What are you hoping to accomplish by pinching back? You are complaining that your plants aren't growing. They are growing but you keep pinching them back. The only reason to pinch back is to encourage side branching. Wherever you pinch, the two leaf nodes directly below will grow new branches.

Photo #2 is Cocks Comb and #3 is Persian Shield. Cocks Combs are annuals meaning it will die this fall/winter. Moving it inside will not change that.

thanks dasiy!!!!

what about the penta id like him to get wider thats why i am pinching him other wise i pinch off dead foliage. so im gonna put him in a lager pot and keep him inside, i read they would do ok inside that and a Cassandra flower.. is this true. i have a Cassandra i wanna keep inside too.


i brought all 3 in last week and these 3 plants showed no stress being inside. i took them outside yesterday through out today because we had a few beautiful days n i knew my plants needed it n im still working on lighting issues..

I don't think any of your plants need potting up at this point. The Pentas will be naturally bushy if it is getting proper light and care. You are also pinching off potential flowers.

I have a Crossandra that was doing very well in my NM greenhouse. I brought it to my Arizona place and have it in a very bright south window, and it's not happy at all. I'm keeping it moist and humid by misting. Leaves are browning and dropping. Yours looks very nice at the moment. I hope it will do well inside.

i guess time will only tell. thanks for the info ;}

Pamela, if I may add, your Pentas plant looks to me as if it needs a shot of fertilizer, too. The new leaves look good but they are very light green, and Pentas have very deep green leaves when they're healthy. If you now leave it alone - NO pinching during the winter - you will have a nice bushy plant by next spring.

It does need a nice bright sunny window, though. Those things grow in full sun here and they love heat and humidity.

Thanks . I believe those new leaves are due to ferterlizer I gave him a weekish ago and I'd also give him a good cleaning , pinched him and a does of neem. Then I took him inside. He did well it seems but I noticed the light green cause over the summer he was darker so I figured he was pushed to produce that but now I believe your exactly right I'd planned to leave him alone but I am gonna change that soil and a bigger pot then he is set for winter. I'll be heading out tonight or tomorrow morning for the last light I need . Something he will love. Lol maybe we can make him bloom all winter? Is it possible???

None of the plants you have shared with us need new pots.

I thought the penta needed something larger. You do not think so?

Well yes, the size of the pots is fine, but if you used garden soil instead of potting soil, like you did with your other plants, I would still change that out.

I wouldn't get my hopes up about any of your plants blooming with just one fluorescent fixture, Pamela. Compared to all day summer sunshine, that's just a "survival" amount of light they'll be getting through the winter.

I think your Pentas just needs more sun while outside. Mine lives outside year round, but very little sun in winter, full sun in summer. It has been in the same pot for three or four years and has been in bloom and bushy, though it is so root bound it needs water at least every other day. The only pinching I do is dead heading.

I'm at lowes trying to buy the correct lighting now. So frustrating there is 3000 bulbs here. Damn

Pamela, get a big 4ft. shop light fixture, and 4ft. fluorescent bulbs that say "daylight" or "sunlight" on the wrapper.

Don't waste your money on any more little lamp bulbs.

I was hoping to add to what I had already use the 3 fixtures I have now .

Each of those is maybe good for one plant. How many plants you got?? Seems to me that 12 were mentioned . .

Not 12 but a few let me think. I got the Cassandra , I'd like to keep inside. I have the penta. Then a house plant uhh devils ivy but he is fine by the window. Uhh I potted 3 Persian shield yesterday and I have a larger Persian shield it's warm enough out now that they stayed out side last night and all look fine now. That's a new pic from this morning . Those are the new Persian shields potted. They will need to be inside soon! I believe I still have a piece of the croton that hasn't died yet . I'm trying to root coleus and lucky bamboo. The. Bamboo is in a window also and I think he is getting enough light. He is doing good too all but one bad piece I think it's just bad anyways . I cut it down 2 times now and it goes back to yellow the other pieces are looking good. When it's colder I'm worried about drafty windows would that hurt as long as it's warm inside though?? I'd assume they really wouldn't get too cold per say but I'm sure they will get a lil cooler air at the window sometimes and Im worried about the fact that I'm rooting these plants at the windows, so if there cold they won't root well .. again it's a full basement heated with the rest of the house but a lil drafty at basement windows. I believe it has something to do with that coleus having little roots. I believe they should have been a little By bigger now. But idk . So I'll add pic of plants that need lighting in my basement .

Not 12 but a few let me think. Well yeah 10 so bout dozen is right.I got the Cassandra , I'd like to keep inside. I have the penta. Then a house plant uhh devils ivy but he is fine by the window. Uhh I potted 3 Persian shields yesterday it's warm enough out now that they stayed out side last night and all look fine now. They will need to be inside soon! I believe I still have a piece of the croton that hasn't died yet . I'm trying to root coleus and lucky bamboo. The. Bamboo is in a window also and I think he is getting enough light. Coleus also in the window. When it's colder I'm worried about drafty windows would that hurt as long as it's warm inside though?? I'd assume they really wouldn't get too cold per say but I'm sure they will get a lil cooler air at the window sometimes and Im worried about the fact that I'm rooting these plants at the windows, so if there cold they won't root well .. again it's a full basement heated with the rest of the house but a lil drafty at basement windows. I believe it has something to do with that coleus little roots. I believe they should have been a little bigger now. They look very very good got. It's got new leaves growing beautifully n very small roots . I'll add a pic of him here in case you all didn't see him yet.
This a lot of plants but Id planned on moving them each day to the lighting system I hook up. I thought I'd use the fire place and hook up the two clamp thingys I got point them faces one another on each end of fireplace and move plants to light as needed? Sounds like I can do that but I still need another type of bulb? I can get another today could someone please tell me which bulb I should get ? I'm confused with all the info and I know a few of you have already tried to explain too me but I've just gotten over stressed and trust me we will get no where trying to teach me something when I'm stressed . And thank each one of you ladies and gents for helping me out and my plants !! They appericate you too I'm sure!!

Not 12 but a few let me think. Well yeah 10 so bout dozen is right.I got the Cassandra , I'd like to keep inside. I have the penta. Then a house plant uhh devils ivy but he is fine by the window. Uhh I potted 3 Persian shields yesterday it's warm enough out now that they stayed out side last night and all look fine now. They will need to be inside soon! I believe I still have a piece of the croton that hasn't died yet . I'm trying to root coleus and lucky bamboo. The. Bamboo is in a window also and I think he is getting enough light. Coleus also in the window. When it's colder I'm worried about drafty windows would that hurt as long as it's warm inside though?? I'd assume they really wouldn't get too cold per say but I'm sure they will get a lil cooler air at the window sometimes and Im worried about the fact that I'm rooting these plants at the windows, so if there cold they won't root well .. again it's a full basement heated with the rest of the house but a lil drafty at basement windows. I believe it has something to do with that coleus little roots. I believe they should have been a little bigger now. They look very very good got. It's got new leaves growing beautifully n very small roots . I'll add a pic of him here in case you all didn't see him yet.
This a lot of plants but Id planned on moving them each day to the lighting system I hook up. I thought I'd use the fire place and hook up the two clamp thingys I got point them faces one another on each end of fireplace and move plants to light as needed? Sounds like I can do that but I still need another type of bulb? I can get another today could someone please tell me which bulb I should get ? I'm confused with all the info and I know a few of you have already tried to explain too me but I've just gotten over stressed and trust me we will get no where trying to teach me something when I'm stressed . And thank each one of you ladies and gents for helping me out and my plants !! They appericate you too I'm sure!!