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newby15

By Newby15

Cleveland, United Kingdom

This plant in our front room is getting tall and straggely can I shorten it and repot it if so how and when
And a happy new year to everyone




Answers

 

Plants usually go leggy like this when they are trying to reach more light.

2 Jan, 2015

 

Your plant appears to be Dracaena marginata, which is good because it responds well to being cut right down. I can see two stems in the picture - there may be more out of sight, I can't tell. Cut them all down to different heights - each stem will produce at least two clusters of new growth at the top in time, so work out the heights you need to cut down to for each stem, so, if there are only two stems, you might take one down to 9 inches and the other to 12 or 13 inches. If the plant is potbound (check by turning out the root ball) then give it a larger pot, keep watered but not soaked, only water when the surface of the compost is dry to the touch.

If you want to make new plants, take the stems you've cut off and sever them about two inches below the green leaves - pop the stems in a bottle of water with a narrow enough neck to stop the leaves slipping inside the bottle and stand it on a windowsill somewhere out of the way. Keep the water topped up as it evaporates, and after about 6 weeks, these cuttings will have formed roots and you can pot them up.

2 Jan, 2015

 

We did just that Bamboo and have three really strong plants that had to be repotted last summer, and the mother tree is doing well too.

2 Jan, 2015

 

Good Pam - the only trouble is, one ends up with a houseful of the same plant!

4 Jan, 2015

 

Thanx for your help Bamboo

4 Jan, 2015

How do I say thanks?

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