Thursday, January 13, 2011

Pruning Iresine

¡Escúchame, por favor! I finally did it: I pruned that unsightly Iresine... If it dies, I'm gonna be pissed.

  1. I laid down some newspaper on the floor and retrieved standard potting mix, a large spoon, hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, scissors, a medium-sized plastic bag, four small stakes, and some paper towels.
  2. I sterilized my scissors with a hydrogen peroxide soaked cotton ball; Cleanliness is of the essence when it comes to tip cuttings. An infection or fungus will be the downfall of any tip cuttings. It's like skinning your knee and rubbing dirt in it. You'd keep a bodily wound as clean as possible, wouldn't you? Do the same for your plants. Moving on.
  3. Iresine has plenty of nodes just below where the leaves appear. My instructions (from The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual) told me that the nodes hold cells which are capable of producing roots, and to cut just below them.
  4. I proceeded in this fashion until all that was left were the bases of the stems... it was not a promising sight.
    4. I then poked holes in the soil with one of the stakes and slid one tip cutting into each hole.
5. Lastly, I put in four stakes to support the plastic bag and slid said bag onto the plant after giving the plant a quick mist. It's sitting next to my African Violet babies near the heater and away from direct sunlight. Update hopefully soon, and yes... I'll admit if I've killed it. :/



Lastly, I noticed today that I've been getting a few views on my blog. I'd like to thank anyone out there who's read, and I'd especially like some feedback. :) Thanks again.

1 comment:

  1. hello,

    did the iresine grow well after pruning?

    i too have a similar plant, which is growing tall and spindly. i want the plant to grow like a thick bush.

    thank you

    ReplyDelete