Question
Can someone please help as to what action i should take to reduce the height of my rubber plant please. The plant is potted in a pot roughly 1ft in circumference its current height is 6ft 6ins. The plant is healthy enough just sprouting so high. One other note the plant has no horizontal growth at all, just vertical growth. Can someone please advise as and where to prune.  

Answer
Hi Marrisa,

Rubber plants put out new growth at the ends of their branches and rarely put out new growth below the growing tips. That means they grow mostly taller and not wider. Pruning will help control that upward growth.

Keep in mind that when you prune a stem, new growth will later emerge just below the point on the stem where you make the pruning cut. In other words, new growth will come in at the "new end" created when you cut the stem.

Where you cut will not effect the health of the plant, but it will effect the appearance of the plant. Of course, each plant is different so there are no precise rules as to just where to prune. It also depends on your space and the look that you want to achieve. Try to make your cut just above a node or point on the branch where the leaf stem attaches to it.

Pruning can be done at any time of the year.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
   
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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