|
Plant Pruning and Shaping
This subject can be fun and artistic, as well as essential for the health of the plant. It doesn't have to be intimidating and technical. With practice and experience it will become easier to choose which foliage should be removed. If you are a little hesitant to start out, remember that spring is the best time to prune because the plant has a full growing season ahead of it (Though any season is O.K.). Pruning promotes growth and strengthens the remaining foliage, stalks, and branches. You can prune foliage in slow, gradual stages to make sure you don't take too much off. By all means take the first step, it won't be as painful as you think.
Actually the first step in pruning is removing dead wood and unsightly foliage. On arboricolas, ficus, and other woody trees, cut off dead wood (The bark will have a dry shriveled appearence). Make a flush cut at a slight angle. Your plant will have a neater appearence and be less attractive for pests and diseases.
The next step is to stand back from the plant and determine where your don't want new growth or where there is too much already. What could you take away that wouldn't be missed? Make the cut in your imagination. Will the plant fit it's space better, be more in proportion, and be less clumpy? Get your pruners out and do it.
There are two seperate results you get from pruning, depending on how you prune. It is visually best to take the branch off down where it connects to the ajoining branch. This keeps the plant from looking like a hedge. Light can also penetrate to the lower leaves, keeping the foliage growing evenly throughout the plant. It is more balanced and airy looking.
When removing the branch completely is not possible, we name the alternative "topping out." This might be your only solution when the center most branch of your ficus or mass cane gets too tall. You don't want to remove the branch entirely, but it can't be allowed to go any further. Cut the branch back to where the next leaf or branch comes out. This will ensure that you don't have a piece of dead wood sticking up (stub). Try to angle the pruners toward the inside of the plant so you don't have a harsh visible cut. This kind of pruning will promote growth down along the stem and make the plant thicker and bushier.
Palms require a different aproach when pruning. Since the new growth comes from the stalk's center, they cannot be "topped out." Once topped out, new growth will no longer emerge from the center, but the stalk will remain green. If you need to shorten the plant, the whole stalk can be cut down to soil level and the result will be a sucker shoot sprouting from the healthy root system.
|
