People seem to feel a bit reluctant to prune their #indoor plants.
It's understandable. Part of the indulgence of #indoorgardening is that we get to strive to keep these beautiful things in pristine condition. They are not subject to the vagaries of the external environment & can be protected from wind, rain & pests. This makes it easy to strongly connect to them & enjoy experiencing every new leaf as a personal triumph. No wonder cutting bits off them &/or tying them up can feel a wee bit brutal? But if you want to keep them truly happy it is worth learning how.
Why & How
The main reason for pruning is pure aesthetics. They are living & growing & you have very close contact with them. So if you do not like the way they are doing that you need to feel free to change it to please yourself. This could be as little as removing, or trimming, dead or dying leaves. It could be that your plant has grown in a very directional way, or become leggy & you want to make a bushier plant.
Or, more positively, you are reshaping & training your plant to climb.
In each case always ensure that you are using sharp & sterilised tools & that your hands & the working surface are clean. You are creating a wound & you do not want to introduce any bacteria which will harm the plant. If you want your plant to bush out cut the stem, or stems, immediately above a pair of leaves. As a response the plant will produce another pair of leaves at that point creating a bushier plant.
If the plant is very leggy (large stem gaps between each leaf) cut back to just above the soil surface above a point in the stem where there used to be leaves. New leaves will sprout there. If your purpose is to train the plant in some way, say to climb a moss pole. You will choose to prune and train it in a way which makes most sense for the support you have available. To encourage root formation into a moss pole the stems can be tied in place where the plant has already, or shows the potential to create #roots.
When?
The best time to do this is in the spring when the plant is starting to show signs of growth. However if you need to prune, as you long as you keep everything sterile, you won’t do any long term damage to your plant by pruning it you will just have to wait a little longer for it to recover.
Some reassurance?
If it helps you feel better plants do not respond in the same way we would if you cut a bit off us. Indeed plants which have been pruned are often healthier & live longer than those which have not. Pruning stimulates the plant to bush out and produce more new growth.
Come and see all the lovely plants we have on offer at www.plantyhaus.co.uk
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