Question
I'm afraid I have neglected my plants at times and now my prayer plant is getting long stems with a multitude of beautiful leaves at the last half of the stems.  Should I prune it?

Answer
Hi Carol,

Pruning is the most neglected part of plant care. Most plant owners avoid it because they are afraid it will kill the plant or that they will do it incorrectly. Meanwhile, they repot their plants with impunity not understanding that repotting is much more likely to kill their plants and is much more complicated to do properly.

It certainly is better to prune your plants before it is obvious that they need to be pruned, but it is still better late than never. You can prune all the stems at once or one at a time over the course of several months. The former will cause your Maranta to look terrible until new growth comes in. The latter will take longer, but will keep your plant looking presentable in the short term. Your choice.

I have written detailed articles on pruning and on repotting  that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected]. I have also written an indoor plant care book in a PDF format that I can sell you if you contact me at my email address.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

Visit my website at: A link to HorticulturalHelp.com