The exotic and extravagant-looking pencil bush requires little care and does not need to be pruned regularly. However, it doesn't grow very slowly and can reach a size of two and a half to three meters without cutting.
How do I prune a pencil plant correctly?
To prune a pencil plant, wear gloves, use a clean, sharp knife, and trim off diseased or weak shoots in the spring as necessary. Shorten the plant by a third if it becomes bald and use clippings as cuttings for propagation.
When is the best time to cut?
Houseplants of this size certainly don't fit in every apartment, so the pencil plant is well suited for a bright, light-flooded winter garden. If you don't have this, you can cut back your pencil plant when it gets too big for you. A balding of the plant is also a good reason for pruning. Ideally, you should prune at the beginning of the growth phase in spring.
What do I have to consider when cutting?
All parts of the pencil bush are poisonous, including the milky sap. It can trigger severe allergic skin reactions. It is therefore best to wear work gloves (€108.00 on Amazon) if you want to prune your pencil bush in any way.
Clean your tools before and after cutting so that no germs can be transmitted. Pencil bush sap sticking to the blade could harm other plants that you subsequently prune with it.
How should I prune my pencil plant?
If your pencil plant becomes bare from below, vigorous pruning can stimulate sprouting. To do this, shorten the plant by about a third. Every time you prune, check your pencil plant for diseased and/or weak shoots and cut them off first. Then give the plant an attractive shape by further pruning.
If you would like to grow new pencil plants, then cut extra cuttings or use part of the pruning for this. However, not all cuttings necessarily root. Use strong and he althy shoots and keep the growing medium moist but not wet. Shoots that have been cut off at a leaf node and dried for a few days root best.
The most important tips for cutting the pencil bush:
- Use gloves - poisonous plant sap!
- Use a clean and sharp knife
- regular cut not necessary
- Pruning possible if necessary
- Cuttings can be used as cuttings
- Cut cuttings in summer
Tip
If you want to prune your pencil plant that has become too large, then use particularly strong shoots as cuttings for propagation.
