Most of your indoor tropical plants will benefit from spending the spring, summer and early fall outside, and by now, you may already have set them out. Here are some guidelines and things to consider to ensure their time is beneficial and well spent for both the plants and you.
By this time your plants are well positioned outside. They are being watered and fed and fertilized properly and growing until they are as happy as you think they can be. But what should happen to all of that new growth? Trim and prune.
Trimming is the minor cutting off of damaged plant material and shaping of the plant's foliage. Pruning is the major cutting of limbs and branches and stems and, failing some catastrophic physical incident, is usually reserved until preparing the plant for coming back inside in the fall.
I find that trimming a plant is one of the most satisfying of all maintenance that is required to tend your plants. It is also the hardest one for beginners to grasp. You have a hands-on direct influence in the physical strength, appearance and health of your plant. A good trimming job will improve the quality of your plants and increase your own personal satisfaction. A poor trimming job, while it won't enhance either the plant nor your self-esteem, will most likely grow out so you can try again. Go slow and practice.
Always use sharp scissors or shears, depending upon the thickness of the plant material being trimmed. I will trim primarily to remove damaged material or to shape the plant. Damaged material may be leaves that have brown edges due to low humidity, leaves that have been torn or eaten by animals/pests and branches that have been broken by wind or birds or you.
When trimming leaves with damaged edges, I will trim off just the damaged area because if the rest of the leaf is still healthy, it is producing food for the plant. Trim the leaf to the same shape as a perfect leaf. If your leaf should be pointed, then trim that way. If your leaf should be rounded, then trim that way. Perfect leaves do not have their ends cut flat, straight across. Don't do it. With a little practice, you can shape the leaves well enough so as to avoid detection by others. Yes, you can. I know. It is very satisfying and your plant will look and be healthier. So trim out all damaged material as it appears.
Trimming to shape the plant is a lot easier than you may think. I will share my secret with you shortly. By now, I expect your plants are showing lots of new growth. While we want to encourage new growth, it would be a mistake to let the plant go wild and crazy. Trimming back new growth will keep the inside of your plant fuller and encourage strengthening of the inner trunks and stems.
How to Trim for Shape: I want the plant to grow; but I restrict how much it grows and how fast. Stand back and look at your plant. Draw an imaginary profile around your plant and in the shape that you want your plant to be. All plant material that 'pokes' outside of that profile comes off with your sharp scissors or shears. The first couple of times that you trim for shape, you will likely have a few holes where your profile is not filled out. That's OK. Trim for shape at least once a week and more often if you like. Remember just cut off the material that 'pokes' outside of that profile. The plant is going to try to regrow from where you cut it; but be strong and determined. Trimming will encourage new growth from the inner sections of the plant.
While you are getting so close and personal and hands-on with your plant, this is a good time to keep a watchful eye for insect problems. The earlier that we can detect an insect issue, the easier it will be to resolve that issue. I will be getting into insect problems in more detail as fall arrives; but if you have an issue to discuss, get in touch with me by commenting at the end of this post or email me at plantsforall@ody.ca
Foliage for Clean Air Council - Plants For All was one of the original Charter Sponsors of the Foliage for Clean Air Council many years ago and we have been strong advocates of the benefits of using tropical plants to clean the air we breathe inside of our homes and offices. This group has since morphed into several different offshoots; but the message is still the same. Recently, the work of Dr. Wolverton and his NASA research in this field has gained a higher profile and awareness. We have had more people coming in to buy plants on his preferred plants list. Plants For All has a lot of information from Dr. Wolverton's findings and over 30 years of our own experience in the tropical plants in offices business. I have been asked to post on this blog about this subject. So stay tuned for lots of information and comment. I will take a break from this series of posts on Putting Your Tropical Plants Outside until the fall, when I will address the important topics of insects and preparing your plants to come back inside.
And one more thing ....
We have posted a new web page featured plant on our web page at http://www.plantsforall.ca/featured-plant.php . We are offering a beautiful Schefflerra Amate floorplant with a regular price of $50 for just $30 until Monday, August 13, 2012. This is an incredible value. Click on the web page link for more detail.
This is a substantial 4-5 feet tall with 3 plants in a 10" pot. This is one of the plants studied in Dr. Wolverton's research.
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