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henryfg

By Henryfg

United Kingdom

Hello there.

I have a congo cockatoo plant (Impatiens niamniamensis) which is now about a foot high. It has been growing nicely and flowering constantly, but i feel now is a good time to top it and try to encourage some more lateral growht, and this is what I would like some help with.

It is currently one stem (or trunk?) around a foot high with ten leaves around the crown and a single leaf about halfway down. What puzzles me is how I can cut the top off without also cutting off all of the leaves. Would this be a problem? And would the cut top be able to be grown as a cutting?

I hope you can help, thank you in advance for any information!


On plant Impatiens niamniamensis


Answers

 

Try just pinching out the very top piece of shoot, as close to the next leaf as possible. You won't be able to use it as a cutting, but once the plant bushes out you'll have material to use for this! Repot it into fresh compost at the same time.

28 Feb, 2011

 

Feeding it and giving it more light would also help it to make more side shoots.

1 Mar, 2011

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