How To Grow Plants From A Shoot

When potted house plants are raised from a seedling, "cutting" or any other method, the require attention to make sure that they grow properly.

To prompt plants to form a basal shoot, the tips of the main shoot are pinched off to keep them from growing up without breaking. This removal of the tip causes a shoot to form on the side of the plant. This information will be valuable when you try to make shoots off of older plants and use them to grow new ones.

This "pinching" of a plant is done just above the fourth or fifth leaf, so that new shoots develop as closely as possible to the base of the plant. Many different species of plants, only one "stopping" in enough, with some plants need to have this done a second time. The second "stopping" is done once a new side shoot has 2 or 3 inches of new growth; the tip of the secondary shoot is pinched just above the fourth or fifth leaf.

Plants that are grown only for ornamental foliage can be pinched at any time of the year. Generally this practice is done in the spring and summer when plants are actively growing. This allows for the maximum growth potential of the newer shoot.

Plants grown for their flowers, should never be stopped when they are two or three months from flowering. This can damage a delicate plant and end up destroying its ability to reproduce or flower.

Fern palms also known as Selaginella, and other plants that form rosettes close to the top of the pots, should be allowed to grow and develop naturally. They require no "stopping" or "pinching" at any time.

Replanting & Top Dressing

How to care for plants that need to be replanted? This should be done during the spring when plants begin new growing. Some plants such as the Spathiphyllum Peace Lily, Clivia, Aspidistra, Ceropegia and Hova can stay in the same pot for a long period of time, even years. Their life can be prolonged by top-dressing with a good quality potting soil annually. Other fast-growing plants such as Fuchsia, Solarium and Pilea must be repotted every year.

For many plants, a mix of 6 parts loam (garden soil with a medium texture), to 2 parts of leaf mould or granulated peat moss, and another quarter part of silver, is a good enough mixture. The prebagged potting soil mixtures are easier for and sufficient, if you do not want to make your own.

How To Repot a Plant

You will turn the plant upside down and tap the bottom rim of the pot on the edge of a table or bench. You will then need to examine the ball of soil If it is packed tightly with roots, then it needs a larger pot. You need a clean pot of a larger size than the one the plant was previously in. This is to ensure that the plant has room for growth and drainage. Pieces of an old, broken flower pot make the perfect medium for drainage. You need one piece, which is slightly bigger than the drain hole and put it in the pot hollow side down, over the hole. Then put three to four pieces smaller than the first piece and spread them out all over. Lastly, put a thin layer of the compost material over the top layer of the broken crock to prevent compost from washing out around the crock.

At the bottom of the root ball, the old crock will be located. Take a stick and remove them, disentangle them from the roots so they are not to tight.

Now you can spread a thin layer of compost over the siftings and take a potting shovel and press it down firmly. Set your plant into the proper position and do not cramp the root ball under the soil, add a bit of compost little by little and make it firm as it is added. Leave a space of around one inch at the top of the root ball for watering purposes.

Unpotted Plants

Unpotted plants are best left alone until the roots have spread around outside the ball of soil It is only then that repotting is necessary. In some instances, the soil has been found to rot or become sour when it works down into the drain cracks. It is best to take the plants and put them into totally fresh compost, and to use the same sized pots.