[header] How to pinch carnations [title] Pinch your carnations to help flowers grow. [step] Pinching carnations as they grow encourages the growth of lateral stems, which means more flowers will grow. Pinching is especially important if you want to grow flowers for cutting. 
[substeps] Pinching also helps the plant to grow bushy rather than as a single tall stem, which some gardeners prefer. The height at which you pinch the plant stem off is the height at which it should start to bush from.