Like a lot of people, I got heavily into houseplants during lockdown. It was something I thought I didn’t have time for before the pandemic hit, but once I’d got a few leafy babies, I found I loved watching them grow, I loved the feeling of caring for them and seeing them thrive. And, actually, it isn’t much work at all to care for houseplants.
But maybe I cared for them a little too well because now, five years later, I have a house full of huge plants and I don’t know what to do with them. My houseplants are out of control, they’re taking over every space in the house and bursting out of their pots. I need to learn how to manage them better.
Cutting is caring
At first, I was worried that limiting their growth would be cruel, but Holly and Nikki Barsby, who run a houseplant shop in London and are exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show this year, assured me it’s a positive thing to do for our plants.
“Pruning and repotting will give the plant a boost and help its long-term overall health. So, if your houseplant is too big, make clean cuts just above a leaf node or bud to encourage new growth in a controlled direction. If it’s too wide, give it a trim. This will encourage your plant to grow side shoots, but in a controlled way. Prune as necessary, but make sure not to take off more than a third of the plant at once, as this will cause your plant stress.”
The most out-of-control is a rubber plant that’s grown high like a beanstalk and has roots growing on top of the soil in its pot. I knew I was going to have to prune it and repot it, if only to deal with those roots, but given how big the plant is and how much those roots are protesting, would I break my pot trying to get it out?
How to repot
“The plant needs to be re-potted into a pot with drainage,” say Holly and Nikki. “Most plants are in a plastic nursery pot inside an ornamental pot. If you aren’t precious about the pot, you can cut the plant out, or if you want to keep it to reuse, you can use a saw or an old kitchen knife to cut down and around the inner circumference of the pot. Lie the plant down on its side carefully on a mat or newspaper, and it will slide out once the sides are clear. This is a great opportunity to check the health of the Ficus roots before repotting.”
The aerial roots of my plant, rather than being a sign of the plant needing more space, grow like this to help the plant spread and support its weight, particularly in its natural rainforest environment.
But here, in my house, those roots are unsightly and are beginning to resemble a triffid. “Gently guide the smaller aerial roots into the soil and leave the chunky, woody aerial roots above the soil,” say Holly and Nikki. “For the roots inside the pot, give a light haircut to the old and damaged roots, which will be dry, crispy or soft and black. You are looking for nice firm white roots in the soil for future growth. For the aerial roots, you can trim the very dry ends of the roots and then repot the plant. Be mindful not to bury the trunk, or that could rot. Plant it to the depth it is roughly currently at in the new compost.”
But what about smaller, more delicate plants? Surely pruning those pretty house plants isn’t necessary?
“Trailing plants like pothos or string of pearls can also benefit from being trimmed back,” says David Denyer, a flower and garden expert at Eflorist, a UK-based online flower delivery service. “This controls their length and helps them grow in a fuller, bushier shape while keeping them more contained.”
What to do if you don’t want to prune
I’ve always just re-potted my plants into bigger pots, presuming the right thing to do was to give them the space they obviously need, but it has occurred to me that what I’m doing is encouraging them to grow bigger and bigger.
“Some houseplants, like peace lilies or dracaenas, are quite happy being slightly root-bound,” says David. “They’ll slow down once their roots fill the pot. As long as you refresh the top layer of compost every few months, you can keep them healthy without encouraging too much new growth.”
Some of my plants are at a reasonable size right now, and I still feel hesitant to cut them back when they’re thriving like they are. It feels too drastic, and there may be gentler ways to manage their size. “One option is to reduce the amount of bright light the plant receives,” says David. “For example, rubber plants and snake plants will naturally slow their growth in lower light, which can help keep their size in check without harming their health.”
I do have my rubber plant right in the window, so once I’ve cut it down a bit and re-potted it, I’ll look at somewhere less light to keep it. David tells me I’ve chosen the ideal time to prune, as plants are more resilient to pruning and shape management in the spring. “Left unchecked, some plants can quickly become unmanageable or out of balance with their surroundings. Tackling it early in the season helps encourage healthy regrowth and keeps them in proportion with your space.”
The aftercare
In the past, I’ve been guilty of overwatering. My nurturing nature has taken over, and I’ve given my house plants a little too much of a good thing. Now, I go around the house once a week and test the soil with my finger to see if it’s dry or not. Some plants need more watering than others, so it’s best to do a regular check rather than blanket watering. Overwatering can be as harmful as underwatering.
But feeding is a whole other matter for me. I’ve always fed my plants sporadically rather than as part of a routine. “Now the clocks have changed, your houseplants are going to receive plenty of light and for more hours of the day,” say Holly and Nikki. “Your plants are in active growth now, and they will be using more energy, so we need to feed more frequently. The more we water, the more we feed. Water with a liquid house plant feed every three waterings, depending on which houseplant food you use.”
I’m getting over my fear of pruning my plants and looking forward to more manageable leafy babies. I know it will feel less like they’re taking over and invading every space in the house and I know I’ll appreciate them more when they’re tidy. But my nurturing side has also discovered a way to keep encouraging growth. “As a bonus, many houseplants will root easily in water,” says David, “meaning you can propagate a new plant with your cuttings, while keeping the original one in check.”
So there goes my hopes of slowing down my plant obsession. I can see what’s going to happen here. My plants might be smaller, but I’ll just have more of them!