making plants such as tomato plants or tall leggy zinna’s fuller

Question

is there a time when i should pinch the seedlings to make them fuller and stronger?

Answer 1

I would not do this to a young seedling. Keep in mind that usually anything ABOVE the pinch point will die off. This is what allows lateral growth to take over. You will want to do this when it reaches a good number of nodes. Lets say 4 or 5 leaves... This is the number of leaves you want to shoot for. This will allow 4 or 5 main branches instead of the apical branch leader keeping dominance. So wait until they are enough established to pinch the top. But yes, this will encourage a more bushy stature.