how to prune your houseplants

I learned a lot writing my houseplant book Legends of the Leaf. One of the major takeaways from reading a LOT of houseplant Q&As from newspaper archives was that lots of people are terrified of pruning their houseplants. And yet this is a really vital part of houseplant care. 

Here's my simple guide ...

• Remember that pruning stimulates growth: this is why spring and early summer are a good time to start.

• Remember the four Xs the first things to remove from your plant are: dead, damaged, diseased and crossing. The last one is the most tricky, as on some plants, crossing stems are normal (think Tradescantia). The main issue with crossing stems is where they may be rubbing together or restricting each other's growth patterns.

• Step back and look at the overall shape of the plant: cut back where growth is going in the wrong direction, or is uneven. Snip, then step back and look - this avoids pruning disasters! 

• Smaller plants can be placed on a ‘lazy susan’ (spinning tray) so you can rotate the pot effortlessly as you work. Healthy plant material you remove can be propagated. 

• Hygiene is important: sterilise your scissors, snips or pruning knife before you start and between plants. You can use Citrox, wash with hot soapy water, or run through a naked flame.

•  In plants with clearly differentiated nodes such as most aroids, cut just above a node so that you aren’t left with any ‘dieback’. If you are going to prop that cutting, trim the cutting back to just below the lowest node, and make sure you remember which end is the growth point!

• Remember to deadhead flowering plants too.

Read more about pruning and two other quick houseplant jobs for the weekend in On The Ledge episode 213.

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my email newsletter about the houseplant scene. You can read the rest of the newsletter here.

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