Is it too early to pinch a 10" pot (4PPP) or 14" (5PPP)? We are in the central zone. Varities are prestige, freedom, red velvet, snowcap & peterstar. Roots are to the edge and bottom of pot. Plants look great and are ready to pinch.

The actual date that you need to pinch is dependent on when flower initiation will occur. If you are using natural daylength, this usually occurs sometime around September 20th for your varieties. With that being said, for your product forms, we recommend that you have 40 days of vegetative growth for your 10" and 48 days for your 14". If you are using natural daylength, now would be the time to pinch, in fact, you may be a little late. If you will be using blackcloth, the date that you need to pinch is determined by the date you start. For future reference, we recommend using our crop scheduling document in the Production Guidlines to help determine important dates such as transplant, pinch, and flower initiation.