How To Get a Ficus Lyrata Bambino to Branch
The diary of a former plant killer. I used to be terrible with house plants and so banned myself from buying them for years. In December 2019 a friend gave me a Christmas cactus as a thank you gift and after a little bit of reading up on plant care online I somehow managed to keep it alive and flowering for six months. As a way to pass time and distract myself during the pandemic I have been teaching myself the basics of plant care and rebuilding my confidence with plants. It turns out there’s hope for me yet!
My hoya kerrii grew lanky towards late summer. It put out some new leaves, but then aborted them, and I was left with a long stem with some leaves on the end. With the sun returning and spring on its way, I got snip happy with my secateurs and chopped it back to the main growth. It’ll grow a new vine from the same node and the cutting will be rooted and popped back in the same pot for a fuller plant later in the season. I think I underwaterered it hence the aborted leaves. I’m still learning, and so fearful of overwatering that sometimes I’m too cautious.
Read more…