Waiting for the pics.

Al

Hi again! Here are some picutres of the plant. This plant gets bright morning light and afternoon light. Growth has been slow but steady. I just repotted it from a 5 to 7 inch pot to this larger one, did this about 1 month ago. All the new growth has never been as perky as the original clipping shown in picture 3. Any suggestions to help perk it and promote new growth on the other stems?

1. View of entire plant
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2. View of main stem, where the only growth comes from. You can see the new small stem growing out of the top. This plant just keeps growing up, instead of growing on the new stems as well.
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3. View of stem with leaves clipping that took, which the main stem grew from.
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4. View of 2 other stem clippings that have remained limp but green since i got them, they have not perked once.
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NO ID plant photos, succulent maybe?
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Thanks so much for your help!
Ashley

The scheff could be cut back to almost any height you prefer. I would cut at least the top 3 mature leaves off & wouldn't be relectant to reduce the plant ht by half. You WILL get back-budding & new branches if you do this.

The other plant can be reduced in similar fashion. Removing the very top will cause it to back-bud & branch. You could easily prune it back to any height you wish. Consider removing the top (including the stem) 1-4 leaves. You should be able to start another plant from the tip cutting. Let me know if you need guidance.

Al

The NOID is a variegated Peperomia obtusifolia. They will, given enough time and good light, spontaneously form their own branches, usually from just above the soil line. Cutting it back may or may not speed up this process.

Al! Thank you so much! I will need some more guidance with the schef cutting. By "cutting the top 3 mature leaves" are you meaning leaves as in actual leaves or the stem with the 5 leaves? Any idea why the plant looks so flimsy?

As for the other plant (NO ID still)... I have 2 and when I was moving they both were tall but one of them snapped while I was transporting it. Now, I have 3 new leaves growing where it broke off, all at once! Should I cut it down or can I leave it growing tall? I really like the look of it tall but will it eventually get to tall and fall over or will the stem thicken like a trunk?

Thanks Al!

Ash

Actually, it doesn't look all that flimsy to me. I can tell quite a bit by the leaf spacing relative to the stem diameter, and that looks pretty good to me. If the plant was particularly leggy, I would expect a thinner stem and longer internodes (the distance between leaves).

I thought about the fact there might be a question about whether the stem should be removed along with the leaves, and I had typed in something that made it clear that it should, but I must have goofed & removed that part when I did some editing - sorry. Yes - prune the stem about half-way between leaves. The stem will die back to the leaf below it. When it does, just prune it off flush to tidy things up.

I don't know what the natural growth habit of the peperomia is, but even if it's normal habit is upright, it LOOKS like it would be susceptible to laying over if it got insufficient light. Pruning the plant to keep it short will assuredly induce back-budding more rapidly than if the plant was left to its own devices, as apparently you've already witnessed, but perhaps more importantly, pruning the plant shorter has the effect of strengthening the stems and seeming to make them more rigid. It really doesn't, but if you imagine how stiff a piece of PVC pipe that is 4 inches long seems compared to a piece of the same pipe 4 feet long, you'll see what I mean. The degree of deflection may remain the same, but the science involved when we start factoring in the length of the stem will show that the shorter stem is going to be able to remain erect where the longer stem may not. Another important benefit is that if you shorten the stem (rather radically) now so there are 3 or 5 (not 4) nodes below the pruning cut, you'll have a stronger plant with multiple stems that emerge very near the soil line. This will look much more natural and give you a decidedly more attractive plant as it ages.

As a bonsai practitioner, I automatically evaluate what I can do now to make the plant (actually it's every plant I look at) healthier AND more attractive in the future ..... might be an interesting topic for a thread.

Al

Not sure why you consider the 2nd plant stilll a no ID. It's been IDed & confirmed & I will confirm the confirmation. It's a variegated Peperomia obtusifolia.

I don't believe it's meant to be especially bushy, not really its growth habit. The way yours is growing is exactly how it's supposed to (shape & fullness-wise). Could maybe use a tad more light, but pls. make it bright, indirect light & NOT direct sun.

I think she was still typing her reply when Mr. S so kindly ID'd her plant, so she hadn't had opportunity to read before 'send'. ;o)

I'd like to make a comment about natural growth habits. A high % of plants, left to their own devices, will make themselves into a rather ugly specimen w/o our intervention.

For instance, the natural growth habit of this Aeonium

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is to grow a single rosette on a gangly stem until it eventually produces a rather ugly branch or two that usually emerges at 90* to the main stem before it curves in a usually unfortunate direction. IOW, it is almost always a rather ugly plant in a container, except when it's very young. Because I was familiar with how the plant would react to my pruning (chopping) ministrations, the plant looks like you see above, rather than {{gwi:108658}}. Which plant, same natural growth habit and both about the same age, is more pleasing to the eye?

Left to it's own devices, my plant would have assuredly ended up as rangy as the one in the picture I linked to. Ashley's plant will end up with a similar sprawling habit unless she intervenes. The proof is in the pruning. ;o)

Al

ok pirate girl i get it, its been IDed, my bad. Thank you mr sub for the name of my plants. I posted right after you and didn't see your post until later. Thanks for the help Al, I'll let you know how it goes! :)

No, not your bad, I hadn't noticed the closeness of the times of posting -- MY bad, I'm sorry.

Anyway, glad you now know what you've got now -- Enjoy!

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I find both the natural and the pruned Aeoniums attractive, as least as regards to shape. Although your plant is lovely Al, sometimes succulents don't look quite right to me if they are too lush and manicured. There is beauty in a rugged plant adapted to rugged terrain.

Even though I've spent many years studying what aspects of a plants personality determine whether it is something beautiful or something ugly, I wouldn't argue with you. You will find though, that those plants that appeal to your eye generally follow and repeat certain artistic patterns that your (anyone's) eye may detect as beautiful, yet you would be at a loss to explain why. In the same vein, your eye will detect an ugly plant, yet you may not be able to explain why it's ugly.

Having studied and learned the "rules" of what potentially makes a beautiful plant beautiful, I also understand how to find symmetry in asymmetry and how to turn something ugly into an advantage, often by making it uglier and using various techniques to highlight the ugliness. I frequently lecture about the artistic aspects of the art of bonsai, and I have to say that the guidelines and 'rules' apply to virtually all plants with personalities.

Very, very few plants that branch can or will grow into something beautiful in a container over the long term without our continuing intervention. It just doesn't happen. You need only look at some of the photos of various plants whose growers are wondering about how to prune or what to do to keep them from flopping over. A little intervention would have helped these plants, that virtually no one would consider beautiful, to be something pleasing to the eye.

I appreciate what you're saying about natural growth. One precious gift that bonsai has given me is I'll never be bored looking at the landscape. I see potential bonsai and beauty in everything that has branches (but my love of and appreciation for plants is not limited to branching plants or trees) ;o). However, only a small % of plants in the natural landscape strike me as particularly beautiful. If I take the time to analyze WHY these individual plants are attractive, invariably, I find that they have those artistic characteristics that few can actually define, but your eye knows instantly that they are special - they fit within artistic rules.

If Ashley wants a plant that lays over & eventually produces a few stems that also grow more or less horizontally and continually longer after the main stem lays over, then she needs to do nothing. If she wants a single-stemmed plant that is somewhat tree-like in its growth habit, she needs to prune now & let one of the newly emerging stems become the new leader. If she wants a multi-stemmed, shrubby plant that grows in a mound shape, she needs to prune back to 3 or 5 nodes now to produce stems that emanate from the 'trunk' close to the ground.

In the end, of course, it's the grower that decides what they want. I just happen to know how to get there from here. Later, wishing your plant looks a certain way, or 'better' may or may not be realistic, but even if it's possible to rebuild it later, I can guarantee it will be harder on the plant and more difficult for the grower.

Interesting subject.

Al ...

I hope you see this, A1, but how did you get your Aeonium to look like that? I have a couple that need some care - a few are leggy - and I'd love to try that! Do you just pop the rosette and wait? Really eye-catching.

When the plant grew to several inches tall and was getting rangy, with only the single rosette at the end of the stalk, I cut it back with a new razor blade and sealed the cut with Elmer's Glue. The glue keeps the cambium hydrated and from dying back so new buds form all around the perimeter right at the cut. You can then shorten what's remaining of the stem, let it callus in open air for a few days, bury it all the way to the bottom of the rosette and root it.

Lol - I had a couple of these plants that were really overgrown, so I pruned it back. This was in Feb. I left the rosettes I cut off, lying in the open air until well into Apr or early May. I noticed they still looked ok and had actually grown roots - right into the air, so I potted them up & gave them away. I cut back LOTS of succulents the same way - Echeveria, e.g..

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Without being cut back, this plant would also be a single rosette on a lanky stem, but you can see multiple rosettes on this one, too.

Please note the soil it's in. I grow all my houseplants, including cacti and succulents, as well as all the woody material I grow in containers and as bonsai in this soil.

Al

Al,

I want to get the most out of my plant and I don't want to mess up on prunning. So I've added pictures pointing out areas I think I should cut. Let me know what you think! Thanks a bunch!

I want this plant to end up looking bushy. waterroots.com has a photo of this plant grown in hydroculture and it is bushy, just the way I want it. Al, refer to the picture of this plant on waterroots.com for an example of how I want this plant to look. Also, should I make the cut on the lower yellow marker, so I can have it branch out and cut again later. Or is the higher yellow maker a better cut?
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I've added a picture of the other plant I spoke of that broke while I was moving. This shows to 2 new leaves growing from the cut! Its beautiful! Just a quick question, do these plants need more light to keep the bright green color as opposed to the mature light green/white leaves?
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Here is the schef, you said keep 3 to 5 nodes. What are nodes? Are they the long stems with the leaves on them? Would my black arrow indicate where I need to make my cut? Should I just stick the top half in the pot with the rooted bottom or should I plant it else where? Also, after I cut the top off, if its were I indicated in the picture, should I then cut the top half in half or should I wait until its rooted to do that?
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Ashley

Including the leaf that is coming out of the soil, cut through the stem half way between the third & 4th leaf. This will give you a plant with 3 stems. When each of the 3 new stems has 4-5 leaves on it, prune each stem back to 2 leaves. 2 new stems will appear at each leaf and you will then have 6 branches off 3 stems, all very close to the ground. From then on, you can practice a combination of directional pruning and pinching to make your plant full and growing in a mound shape. I can help you with the pruning and pinching when your plant gets to that stage.

Experiment with the light levels, Ashley. I know it tolerates low light levels, but there is a difference between 'tolerates' and 'prefers'. Grow it in light as bright as it will tolerate, and it will grow more compact. They're kind of a paradox in that the variegated plant need more light because they have less chlorophyll, but the lighter portions of the leaves don't tolerate high photo-intensity as well as its all green counterpart. It should make a gorgeous plant in time.

If you contact me off forum, I have an offer for you that I'm sure you'll find helpful. ;o)

Technically, a node is a point or position on a stem where a leaf, branch, bud, or other plant part diverges from the stem, but for your tree it's easier if we limit the meaning to the points where leaves attach. FYI - internodes are the empty (nothing on them - no leaves) stem space between the nodes. The long stems are called petioles and the leaf of your scheff is a compound leaf, made up of multiple leaflets (usually 5-8).

I would cut your scheff a little lower than where you positioned the arrow. To prepare what's left (tip cutting) for rooting, cut off all the leaves except the top 2 by snipping through the petiole close to the stem. Then stick the cutting in screened perlite, screened Turface, or screened NAPA Floor-Dry. No rooting hormone necessary & keep the soil damp but not wet. Bright light but no direct sun, please. Wait until the cutting is well-rooted until you cut it back - next Jun sounds pretty good to me.

Good luck!!

Al

UPDATE!

Hi everyone! Here are photos of my scheff and Peperomia obtusifolia a month or so after they were prunned. I cut them both around October 20th. The P.obtusifolia that i prunned has 2 new leaves and signs of a new one! Also the other P.obtusifolia I will be showing snapped during my move to Dallas a natural prune, haha. I was really sad until Al explained that it will benefit the plant and promote new growth. It did!

Also my scheff a lot of new growth! The stems are stronger, leaves are more perky and I have 4 new stems growing from where I cut it. You can see the 2 plants I trimmed before pictures above in the thread.

Lets start with the scheff..
Looks like a much happier plant!
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Here is a close up of where I trimmed the plant. You can also see where I pinched the stem, behind the new growth, which made it so much stronger!
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The Peperomia obtusifolia that I prunned.
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Photos of the Peperomia obtusifolia that snapped durning my move. (The plant was as tall as the other P. obtusifolia before I trimmed it, so about half the plant broke off)
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One of the new leaves looks like heart. I think its because it was grateful for the snap. ;)
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Hope everyone enjoyed the photos!

Happy gardening
Ashley

Hey! Nice work on that Scheff!
The updated pics are great...especially seeing the progress that both you and your plants have made!
Cute Money Tree peeking out from those first two pics.

Josh

Hi Ashley....nice job on the shef. I just recently cut mine back due to a bad scale problem. I buzzed it back to 3 main stems. It came back nicely!
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Ashley,
I had a Peperomia obtusifolia like yours a while ago, but never knew how to water it, as a succulent or nonsucculent, and it must have succumbed to overwatering.

John,
What is that big Euphorbia you have growing next to your Shef?
I love it! May I ask where you bought it? Thanks.

Christopher

Hi Christopher....I believe it is one of the "medusa" head Euphorbia though I don't recall it's botanical name. I got it in Tucson at the Tanque Verde Greenhouses.

Nice work Ashley and John!! Looks great!

Although its not a houseplant I did something similar to one of my Mango trees...It had one single branch and I severely pruned it.
Outcome was basically the same...Its now much fuller with several branches.

Right after I pruned it...left only 3-4 leaves
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Now...much fuller
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I find chopping or pruning will always help make your plants bushier, my neibour did this with the maple trees he planted and chopped off the tops every spring and they are the most beaufiful full trees I HAVE EVER seen. I envy them every time I drive up my driveway.

John, I love how your scheff looks! I really like the thick trunk, thats what I'm trying to achive with mine. I want it to be bushy but I want the lower half to have a thick trunk so that its stays sturdy. Great Job!

Pug, your mango tree looks great! It doesn't even look like the same plant! How long until you think you'll be eating yummy mangos?

Housplant, I love maple trees, I bet your neighbors are very lush!

As for my scheff, there hasn't been much change. No new growth after its burst of growth when i prunned. But the new growth in the photos above have grown about as big as the mature leaves! Its looking great! I'm just curious as to why there is no new growth. Possibly its dormante after the burst of growth and plus its winter so...you know how it goes. :) But if anyone has any other ideas as to why theres no new growth...shed a light!

Ashley

Great growing, Ashley! Light is always king and increasing the light brought about lush growth. Its winter and growth will increase as the daylight hours grow. Your plants look very healthy.

Jane

Thanks Jane! I can't wait for longer days haha :D Ashley

Hi Ashley....my sheff used to look like yours. One tall branch. I posted a question here and I believe it was Al who suggested I whack it back to the point right above the 3 branches. Couple years go by and I decided to whack it back again.....I'm pleased with the outcome. Thanks for the compliment!

Mine was wacked and produced 2-3 branches initially. Wacked those and got two more on each branch. Now I have 8 branches. No more wacking, its getting too wide.

Give it a try, it works.

Jane

Your welcome John!

Wow, Jane! I should! How soon did you trim on the new branches? As you can see with mine, it didn't really produce branches but another main stem from which more leaves pile on top. Similar to what it was doing before I trimmed. When do you think I should trim mine back again? And where abouts?

Thanks
Ashley