Pruning Houseplants

Those who do not have enough space for a garden prefer keeping some houseplants indoors. Houseplants not only add to the beauty of your house, but also help keep the air fresh and healthy. However, you need to take as much care of them as the outdoor plants and, sometimes, even more. One of the main things that are needed to be done, to keep plants healthy, is pruning. It not only helps in maintain the shape of the plant, but also aids the removal of dead, diseased or spoiled stems and branches. At the same time, it helps in keeping fungal infections at bay. In the following lines, we have provided complete information on pruning houseplants.

How to Prune Houseplants

Items Needed

Bleach
Garden Shears

Method

When you start pruning your houseplants, the first thing that you need to look for is a broken branch. A plant always tries to repair its broken branches and in turn, ends up using too much of its energy. To avoid this, make sure to remove the broken branch as soon as possible.
The next step in the pruning process will comprise of removing al those branches that are either diseased or too weak. Discolored or malformed foliage indicates diseases in branches. Take a clean pair of shears and dip them in 10 percent bleach solution. Now, use them to cut the diseased and weak branches. The bleach solution will help in stopping the spread of the disease.
Now is the time to concentrate on the stems or branches that cross through the center of the plant. Such stems/branches obstruct the air circulation through the plant and thus, aid the onset of fungal diseases. Make use of the garden shears for the purpose.
If you see any tall or messy growth in or around the plant, which doesn’t gel with the rest of the structure, it is better to remove it. The tall stems of the plant should also be cut, in such a way that they fall just below the rest of the foliage.
Make sure to prune the ends of all of the branches of the plant. For the purpose, you are required to make use of the tips of the garden shears. Tip pruning will help the new growth to come out, by pushing down on the stems. It might be possible that after pruning, even some of the dormant growth buds come out.
To ensure that your houseplants remain healthy and in good shape, indulge in pruning on an occasional basis. Rather, go for pinching on a frequent basis.

Tips

After cutting diseased stems or branches, clean garden shears thoroughly and then only use them for pruning other plants or other parts of the same plant. Otherwise, the disease will spread to other parts or plants also.
For cleaning the garden shears, dip them in a 10 percent solution of bleach. Keep aside and let them dry.
Garden shears should be oiled on a regular basis. At the same time, they should be stored in a dry place.

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