Do Marigolds need to be pinched?

Do Marigolds need to be pinched for compact and bushy growth? If so, when should I start? I am growing the Double Dwarf French Bonanzas. 6-16" high. Quite a variable actually! My seedlings are below. Thanks!

Yes, absolutely. They become so much more attractive if you do.
Generally you want to pinch between two set of leaves.

Your marigolds in the picture are pretty young and need to develop minium another set of leaves before you pinch.

The very bottom leaves in your picture are cotyledons (seed leaves) which are only temporary (marked blue in my picture). These leaves are the oval shaped ones without the jagged edges. The real leaves are above the cotyledons (the real leaves are marked with red in my picture). They are the ones with the jagged edges.

You want to wait until you have at least two sets of real leaves. When you pinch, pinch between two sets of real leaves.

Marigolds generally benefit nicely from being pinched back at least once.

Kenneth

Hey,
Thanks Ken. I actually meant to upload a photo, the same photo as above, but I had done the same thing you had done, only pointing out the new growth above the cotyledons, I had it marked in red! Haha! Thanks very much for the info. They looked like something that could be pinched, just wasn't sure.

J