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one Choose the type of crop

First of all, the owners of indoor plants need to know that pruning comes in four types and performs different functions.

Sanitary

This is the most common and popular pruning, which has to be done most often. During this procedure, all dried leaves, branches, aerial roots, faded flower stalks are carefully removed. Sometimes it is carried out urgently if some kind of disease or decay has begun.

If part of the leaf is damaged, you can not cut it off to the green healthy part, but leave a thin strip of dried tissue.

This pruning is often combined with topsoil replacement to renew and improve the soil.

shortening

Such pruning is otherwise called «pinching» or «pincer». This is a shortening of the growth point. It is carried out when they do not want a large plant to grow too much. After that, it begins to build up the leaf mass and becomes more lush, without wasting energy on growing in height or width. This pruning is very useful for vines, which often stretch out in length and do not release new leaves.

Also, this procedure should be carried out if you have a young, fragile plant that has released too many buds. If you reduce their number, flowering will be longer, and the flowers will be larger and brighter.

Formative

This is a decorative procedure to give an aesthetic appearance. The branches are shortened by no more than two-thirds, and at least two buds are left on them. At the same time, it is important to pay attention to the fact that the cropping is symmetrical and not aggressive.

Anti-aging

It is carried out on all rapidly aging or old flowers in the house. This primarily applies to roses, hydrangeas, pelargoniums and fuchsias. Old branches, on which there are no leaves or there are very few of them, are cut off, leaving 5-7 cm from the trunk. After that, the plant is protected from direct sunlight and often sprayed with a spray bottle. This provokes the growth of new kidneys.

2 Determine when to prune plants

Pruning is carried out during the active growing season — in late February and early March. This is a period of active growth. It is not worth starting it immediately after flowering, since the plant has spent too much energy on it, it goes into a dormant period and is not ready for new stress. After flowering, you can only carefully remove dried flower stalks and leaves.

Broken and damaged branches are allowed to be cut at any time if the plant is healthy and does not bloom. In this case, you need to wait until the secreted juice dries up, and sprinkle the cut with charcoal.

3 Don’t Forget About Pruning Rules

There are several basic pruning principles that are suitable for all types of pruning. Don’t forget to stick to them.

• Use good tools. For thin branches, knives or bonsai scissors are suitable, and for thick branches, you need a garden pruner. In this case, the blades must be clean and well sharpened. The sharper the tool, the less trauma, so clerical scissors are not suitable.
• Don’t forget about hygiene. All instruments must be processed. You can do this with alcohol or boiling water. It is important to repeat the treatment for each plant that you decide to prune.
• Protect hands, respiratory organs and eyes. If you cut a flower with poisonous juice, wear disposable gloves and a protective mask, take care of your eyes.
• Do not combine pruning with transplanting. You need to let the flower get away from stress, wait a bit, at least two weeks.

four Perform restorative procedures

After pruning is complete, allow the plant to recover. To do this, make sure that it is not in direct sunlight, the room is not too hot, and the air is not dry. Slightly reduce the frequency of watering and add fertilizer to the soil. You can also spray the flower with anti-stress drugs.