Pruning and pot size.

[davidwood]

At what age do i have to concider to start pruning. As  Charlie knows i have bought quite a few plants and most are growing like crazy here in Vietnam, Night Magic is over a meter tall in just a few months but i see it has only 2 branches. If i prune now will it get more branches OR should i wait.

Secondly i see in the HMV introduction Charlie recommends 10inch pots and is experimenting with smaller sizes. Well i have found space to squeeze in a few more pots but they would  spend there life in 8inch pots as i would not be able to put in a larger pot later , would this be ok.

[Charlie]

David, the key to pruning successfully is doing it when the conditions are right to encourage new growth. It works best with actively growing plants and when the temperature and light available are likely to remain high in the weeks following pruning. Winter pruning is riskiest but I am not sure what seasons you have in Vietnam, if any.

The other technique to make pruning as safe as possible is to prune one major branch at a time. Once that branch shows active new growth it is safe to go ahead and prune the next main branch. What we are trying to avoid is the situation where a major pruning results in no new growth and the plant fades away because it is not producing enough energy in the remaining leaves. This is rare if pruning is done when conditions are good for growth, but does happen occasionally. By pruning only one major branch at a time you avoid this situation.

You can grow very nice sized plants in 8 inch pots - expect 3-4 feet in height. The problem I have observed is that after several years the plants can lose vigor and do not grow much or bloom as they once did. To avoid this or correct it you can do a root pruning every other year. It seems risky but actually is good for the hibiscus.

What you do is remove the plant from the pot, and then using a saw or pruners cut away about 1/3 of the root ball from the bottom and sides. You then repot the plant in the same pot, adding fresh potting mix in the bottom and along the sides. This causes the roots to explode with new growth as they spread into the fresh potting mix. As the roots grow they produce growth hormones that are sent to the top of the plant, causing the stems and leaves to grow with renewed vigor.

Charlie

[davidwood]

Thanks for that Charlie and i will press ahead with my pruning [will be a bit nervous as its my first time ha ha]. I have no need to worry about winter as where i live in Southern Vietnam it never drops below 65f and then that's only for about 1 week a year, [its 3am as i write this and the temperature outside is now 84f].
The advice on the pots is music to my ears, interestingly knowing that using a smaller pot will help reduce the size of the plant can be a big advantage in certain areas of my garden.