Having a home without plants is not always a good idea. With them, the home is green, the mood improves and, in addition, you can learn a lot about plant beings. Taking care of them will help us breathe better quality air, because as we know, through their leaves they expel clean and pure oxygen. But to have them perfectly healthy it is very important to know when and how to prune indoor plants, because from time to time we will have no choice but to do so.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about when and how indoor plants are pruned.
When are indoor plants pruned?
The so-called indoor plants come mostly from the tropical regions of the world, especially from America and Asia. These are plants that in their natural habitat can grow throughout the year, as there is no frost and the temperature is always more or less stable.
When we start to grow them at home, the conditions are not the same, much less in autumn-winter. In those seasons, it is cold, even very cold in several places, so we have to know well when is the right time to prune them and thus avoid problems arising. Therefore, it is important to know if it is really necessary to prune an indoor plant. Typically, these weddings are held for a specific purpose. An example of this is if we wanted a variety of ficus to have a clear trunk and a more rounded crown. This is where we have a goal of shaping the concrete plant.
In this case, what we must do is remove the lateral branches of the stem so that it can be quite clear and clean and leave all the crowning ones for the pinching them with each other so that it forms a ball. This is how we get the cup of the ficus to remain with a rounded shape.
Optimal moment
We know that maintenance cuts to our plants can be made at any time of the year. However, it must be borne in mind that the indoor plant They tend to be more active from the spring and summer season. In winter they also usually have it but to a much lesser extent. If we had to choose the optimal time to do houseplant maintenance, it would be spring. We must observe our plants to know when and how to prune them indoor plant.
As we have mentioned before, the main thing is to know if they really need to be pruned. There are plants that are pruned voluntarily to know if they can take another form or not. However, there are different types of pruning that the plant needs to be able to grow in good conditions. The best time is after the coldest months when spring arrives. Late winter is when the least sap is lost during pruning. Therefore, after this activity, plants will be able to heal and heal your wounds more easily. If what we want is just to remove the withered leaves and flowers, it is something that we can do throughout the year. This is because they are dry parts and the plant is not responsible for feeding them. We do not have to worry about these parts and we can remove them at any time of the year.
How are indoor plants pruned?
With pruning, what you want to achieve is to have plants with a greater number of stems / branches, a greater number of leaves and / or flowers, or a more compact plant. There are many types of indoor plants and We will have to look at the type of development you have to give it the way that suits you best.
Thus, with pruning scissors previously disinfected with pharmacy alcohol, we can trim those stems that have grown too much, but we will also have to remove those that look weak, broken or sick.
We are going to see what are the main techniques to learn how to prune indoor plants.
How to prune indoor plants: to stand out
It is the first technique that we are going to talk about. It is the pruning itself. It's about removing the ends of the stems so you can limit their growth. It also serves to rejuvenate an older specimen. To do it, about 2/3 of each branch must be cut. To do this, we will use a sharp knife with scissors as long as it is clean and disinfected. If the ends that have reached more development are cut, it helps to improve the next flowering. Any debris that is dry or damaged should also be removed.
Cutting back branches that grow inward can help improve air and light circulation and increase plant health.
Clamp
This is another technique that mainly consists of removing the ends of the stems that are more tender and young. Thus, we promote its growth to make it more leafy and uniform. We also get the air to circulate better between the stems and the plant is discharged from an excess in the number of leaves. It is done by tearing the greenest and most tender end of the stems with just half a centimeter with the index finger and thumb. The best time to do it is when the plant is growing and whenever you want to limit its growth.
Behead
It is the ultimate technique to learn how to prune indoor plants. It is the name given to the elimination of withered flowers to maintain a good appearance of the plant. As an advantage, we manage to avoid the spread of diseases and stimulate the production of a greater number of flowers. If the plant is small, the faded flowers can be cut off with your fingers or small scissors. When it comes to hard specimens such as the stem of a rose bush, it is advisable to use a pruning shears. Cut where the petiole joins the main stem. Faded flowers are easily removed by hand in the case of herbaceous specimens. The best time of the year is all year round.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about when and how indoor plants are pruned.