Trimming or pruning dead or overgrown branches of a plant is essential to let them grow more. Polka dot plants become leggy when they are growing, and it is necessary to trim them. Pruning your polka dots is necessary even if they are not leggy, making them look more admirable and attractive.
But you can’t just start pruning them out of the blue, and there are steps for pruning your polka dots. Here I will provide all the information you need to know about pruning your polka dots plants. We hope this will be of help to you.
Hints Your Polka Dots Needs To Be Pruned
There are a few signs that polka dots plants give out when it’s time for them to get pruned. If you are not aware of what those are, then check the points provided below.
Yellow Leaves
Overwatering your polka dot plants can lead to them catching root rot, which will make their leaves yellow. Before watering your plants, check the soil with your finger. If the soil is wet, then keep off watering the plant for a day or two. You can start watering it again when the soil is semi-dry.
And as for the yellow leaves, you can trim them off as this will maintain the beauty of the plant.
Diseased Parts
Polka Dot plants are prone to diseases and get easily attacked by mealybugs, aphids, etc. These are not life-threatening to polka dot plants, but if they are left untreated, they can lead to the death of the plant.
The best course of action here would be to prune the plant’s diseased parts. But if you don’t feel like it, you can spray them with a neem oil solution to get rid of them.
Drying Of Leaves
Drying of leaves of polka dots occurs due to two reasons, one is underwatering, and the other is heating. Heat can come from direct sunlight exposure and any hot air source near the plant.
Check the soil of the plant to understand whether it’s underwatering. Just move the plant to a location with less heat for the heat issue. After this, you can prune the dried leaves to keep the plant healthy.
Tall And Leggy
Polka dot plants become tall and leggy as they start to mature. Besides this, there are other reasons also that make polka dots taller and leggy. It will be a good idea to prune them if they become tall and leggy.
So, those are the signs by looking at which you will understand that it’s time to prune your polka dot plants. But you can’t just prune them the way you want, as there are steps you need to follow before you prune the plant.
If you want to know whether polka dots are poisonous or not, then read Is Your Polka Dot Plant Poisonous?
How to Prune Polka Dot Plant?
To prune your polka dot plant, look for stem nodes with the most leaves or tallest ones and cut them off. Similarly, you may trim off the polka dot’s dried, diseased, or leggy parts.
Pruning your plants is very easy, but if you are unaware, you can follow the steps provided below.
- Choose the stem node that has many leaves on them and cut that. This will make the plant make multiple stems and produce more leaves.
- Look for stems that are tall and cut them. This will make the plant well organized and bushier.
- Tim off any diseased, dried, or leggy parts of the polka dot plant.
And that is how you can prune polka dots plants. Pruning doesn’t take much time and can be done at any time. By pruning your polka dots, you will not only make them look attractive, but also they will be healthier and live longer.
Now, the question arises, how much or how often should you prune your plants?
How Often to Prune Polka Dot Plant?
Pruning is good for your plants, but if done excessively, it can also lead to the death of your plants.
Pruning your plants weekly or every other week would be good. You can also prune them whenever you find a diseased or a dry part. For pruning, you can use your fingers or get yourself a scissor to do the job for you.
As for the timing, it’s all up to you. You can prune them in any season, but growing seasons would be the best as the plant will get an extra boost.
Through the process of pruning, you can propagate your polka dot plants as well. So, how do you propagate your polka dot plants?
What else can you grow with polka dot plants? Read 7 Polka Dot Plant Companion Plants
How To Propagate Polka Dot Plants?
Propagating your polka dot plant is somehow related to pruning. You can prune a part of your plant and put it in another pot to grow another plant from that part.
But for that, you must cut the correct stem and the right node. Here is how you can do it.
- Check the plant for a green stem and ensure it has two healthy leaves.
- In that, find an exposed node near the soil and cut right below the node. It will be better if you have more nodes in the separated stem.
- Remove all the leaves except for the two healthy ones on top.
- Take out all leggy parts, if any, as this will help with the plant’s growth.
- Now, plant them in a pot with good soil.
After that, follow the routine of taking care of them by watering them regularly. And that is how you would be able to propagate your polka dot plant.
Also, make sure to watch the video tutorial on how to prune your polka dot plants if that’s easier for you.
Wrap Up
We hope this helps you in taking care of your polka dot plants. Always remember that when you cut one stem of the plant, it divides and grows into two more. So, by pruning your plant, you are just making it grow more.
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