Root Pruning on House Plants

Plants do grow and can grow quite large,  to stunt their growth or to keep them in the same pot size prune their roots.   Pruning roots on plants should be done around early spring season.   Take the plant out of the pot,  if it is pot bound -shake off the dirt and start triming the sides off with a knife or clippers,  clip off about 2 inches off the sides,  and about 2 to 3 inches off the bottom.  Then fill the bottom of pot with about 2-3 inches of soil,  make sure soil is moisten but not soggy (See my repotting plants page for the correct soil mixture)  then place the plant back into the pot.  Fill in the sides with soil and a little at the top,  you might want to keep about a half an inch lower at the top of the soil from where the top part of the pot so that water won’t run off on the sides.   Water plant well,  then start pruning some of the stems,  branches or leaves off of the plant, this will keep the shock to a minimal.  Don’t place them in direct sun for at least 3 days and keep the soil moist for about a week.   This is how I keep most of my plants in the same size pots otherwise they can get to big,  Pruning plants at the tips once a year always helps them to grow stronger, healthier and better.    Fish emulsions are great for all plants,  but only use this in the spring,  summer and early part of fall.