I would think you could just pinch off the flower stalks before they blossom.

What plant are you talking about?

It is a desert rose.

a deser roses are naturally mal branched. they grow slowly. you will just haved to live with the graceful form

a deser roses are naturally mal branched. they grow slowly. you will just haved to live with the graceful form

It can be done mechanically, chemically, or culturally, but culturally (varying photo-period and temperature) probable isn't a good choice for the average hobby grower, for obvious reasons.

Done mechanically, you would want to do it as soon as the buds can safely be removed by cutting through the peduncle (stem supporting the bud/bloom) w/o injuring the plant. The term would be disbudding.

I don't know how far you want to chase this, but chemically, Ethephon and similar products that center on ethylene production are often used to remove buds/blooms. Once absorbed, it is converted to ethylene, a natural plant hormone that affects flower senescence and fruit ripening.

I regularly mechanically disbud developing flowering bonsai to speed their progress - so they devote more energy to an increase in biomass, instead of reproduction. I also remove all buds and blooms from both annuals and perennials I use in mixed display containers for the gardens/decks/beds.

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It really makes a significant difference in how fast the plants in the new mixed planting establish, because with buds/blooms removed, the plants can devote their energy to getting their feet under them instead of being obligate to the reproductive phase.

Al

This post was edited by tapla on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 16:02

Thank you for your responses. I attempted the disbudding/mechanical approach. Hope all goes well. I'm not too worried since the plant usually goes through a harsh pruning towards the beginning of spring anyways.
James