Prune those cold-damaged split-leaf philodendrons
Q: I mistakenly left the water on during the last freeze, and my split-leaf philodendrons are showing lots of damage. What should I do?
A:
Take the pruners to the plants and remove all dead and declining portions. Some cuts may be back to the trunks or close to the ground. Split-leaf philodendrons are very durable and can usually tolerate such abuse. It may take a while to realize the total extent of the cold damage, but the plants should recover.
Q: The winter was not kind to our gingers, and there are lots of brown among the foliage and stems. How much pruning should we do?
A:
It’s not abnormal for gingers to be damaged by cold. In fact, some die back to the ground before winter while others continue growth to take abuse from the cold. An emailed photo showed what appears to be a shell ginger with varying degrees of damage. Your options are to prune out just what was damaged and leave the green leaves and stems or prune the entire planting to the ground. This latter option seems best as the damage seems significant. Gingers are very tolerant of heavy pruning, and this should give the plants a good chance to recover with lots of new growth.
Q: I think I need to do major pruning of my camellia after it blooms to get it denser and more compact. What do you think? A:
An emailed photo showed a quite normal-looking camellia with slightly open branching. Camellias normally do not need a lot of trimming. Your shrub is a little open, but not bad. You might trim back each major shoot a few inches to encourage more growth from the branches. Severe pruning does not appear needed and is seldom practiced with camellias.
Q: I often see a suggestion of “tipping back” a plant. What does this mean?
A:
Horticulture terms can be a bit confusing. How about the suggestion of a “soft pinch?” This one, along with “tipping back,” refers to light pruning. A “soft pinch” is removing the very tip of a shoot, usually with the thumb and forefinger. The term “tipping back” usually refers to a bit more pruning. Usually, the tips of shoots several inches long are removed.
Q: Our ornamental grasses were whipped by the winds, have turned brown and look awful. What would happen if I cut them down?
A:
Expect nice new upright plants to replace the old ones. Maybe the winter winds have helped keep you on schedule, as mid-February is a good time to give ornamental grasses a trimming. Most plantings a year or two in the landscape are cut back to within a foot or so of the ground. Some may also need thinning or dividing to keep them attractive.
Q: When do you prune back cold-damaged banana plants? Will they recover to produce bananas again? A: Temperatures should be moderating now, making it a good time to do needed pruning. It is also a good time to determine the extent of the damage to banana plantings. Start by removing all dead banana leaves. Then determine the trunk damage. If the top few feet of the trunk appears dead the bud is likely affected, and the whole trunk should be removed. Where there is any growth from the top of the trunk, your banana plant should recover and maybe bear fruit this year. When banana plants need pruning to the ground, new shoots almost always sprout from the base to grow new plants that fruit next year if not damaged by cold.
Q: A bird of paradise has been
growing in our yard for more than two years. The plant is healthy but has not bloomed. What can I do to encourage blooms?
A:
Bird of paradise plantings can try your patience, but the wait is normally worth it. New plantings need about three to five years to get into flowering mode. During the first three years, encourage growth with three to four feedings a year and by keeping the soil moist. Then at year four, reduce the feedings to once or twice a year. Many like to use the lower nitrogen fertilizers that are often sold as blossom boosters. Waterings are also reduced to about once a week or only the dry times. This normally helps the plant slow growth and begin the flowering process.
Q: I pruned my hibiscus hedge last spring and never saw a bloom all year. I have two other leggy hibiscus plants that have been in bloom all year. Should I prune them, and if so, when will they rebloom?
A:
No blooms for a year is certainly a disappointment but not uncommon. Much of the recovery time needed depends on the severity of the pruning and the care afterward. Some gardeners do selective pruning with hibiscus by taking out or shorting the older stems. They leave a portion of the younger shoots that are starting to bloom. This way, the plant is always producing some color. When plantings are given a major pruning, the time to first bloom can be months to over a year. After pruning, give these plantings a light feeding with a blossom booster product to encourage some growth. Too heavy or frequent feedings can keep the plants producing only stems and leaves. Another feeding can be applied in May and, if allowed, in August. Water during the dry times but avoid over watering that could encourage just foliage.