World Journal (New York) - World Journal (New York) - Weekly Supplement
照顧室內盆栽
別太常修剪枝葉
●Houseplants are quick to tell you when they need help. They display discolored leaves, drooping stems, and little or no growth. That usually gives you enough time to make things right.室內盆栽植物需要被照顧時會迅速表示；葉片變色、莖部彎曲、或是幾乎沒有成長；它們通常會給種植者足夠的時間補救。
●”Plants send signals simply by the way they look,” said Dawn Pettinelli, an Extension educator at the University of Connecticut. “If they aren’t getting enough light, the leaves will yellow or turn brown and they’ll be slow to develop.”
康乃狄克大學(University of Connecticut)延伸教育學院教師唐恩‧培堤涅里(Dawn Pettinelli)說：「植物純粹透過外關發出訊號；如果它們接受的光照不夠，葉片就會變成黃色或棕色，成長的速度也會放慢。」
●Off-color leaves also can be the symptom of root problems, insect infestations, irregular soil moisture, or unsuitable light conditions or temperatures.葉片出現變色跡象，可能是植物根部問題的症狀、病蟲害、土壤沒有經常保持濕潤、或不適當的光照與溫度條件。
●African violets, one of America’s most popular houseplants, don’t like to be cold but also get stressed when it’s too warm. “They’ll start wilting if they’re chilled and they won’t bloom if they’re hot,” Pettinelli said. “Their buds will fall off.”美國最受歡迎室內盆栽植物之一的非洲菫，不愛低溫，但溫度過高也會對它構成壓力；培堤涅里說：「它們太冷就會枯萎，太熱就不會開花；花蕾會掉下來。」
●A good way to rejuvenate many kinds of tired houseplants is by pruning or giving them what some growers dub “horticultural haircuts.” Pruning serves a variety of functions, including shaping, removing dead matter, and cutting back to reduce stem loads and keep the plants from sagging or drooping, said Diana Alfuth, a horticulturist with University of Wisconsin Extension.要讓失去生氣的室內盆栽植物恢復活力，可以修剪枝葉，也就是部分種植者所謂「園藝學的理髮」；威斯康辛大學(University of Wisconsin)延伸教育學院園藝家戴安娜‧阿爾福斯(Diana Alfuth)說，修剪有許多功能，不僅能造型，去除枯萎部分，還能減少莖部的負擔，防止植物下垂或彎曲。●But don’t prune too soon.但是也不要太常修剪。●”Pruning can be helpful but pruning causes growth, so it’s best done in late winter when the days start getting longer and the plants become more active,” Alfuth said in an email. “Pruning then results in strong new growth. Pruning is helpful to keep a plant bushier or to rejuvenate a plant, especially if it has vining type growth.”阿爾福斯在電子郵件中稱：「修剪可能有幫助，但也會刺激生長，所以最好是在冬末進行，因為屆時白天時間開始變長，植物也變得比較有活力；這時候修剪就會讓植物生長更強勁；修剪可以幫助讓植物枝葉更茂密，恢復活力，尤其是藤蔓類植物。」
●Slow-growing or tree-type houseplants are less tolerant of major trimming, she said. Avoid pruning palms, pines and orchids.阿爾福斯也說，生長緩慢的植物或樹型盆栽，比較無法承受較大幅度的修剪；須避免修剪棕櫚樹、松樹、和蘭花。
●Pruning also provides an opportunity to take cuttings segments from the stems, leaves or roots to develop new plants.修剪後也有機會能利用剪下來的部分，像是莖部、葉片或根部的片段，來種出新的植株。