Good job. Often people are hesitant to chop off drastically like this thinking it will kill the plant. In nature this happens frequently. Obviously the growing conditions must be good and the plant must be healthy for it to recover with enthusiasm. Let it grow and regain strength. And then if you consistently prune the growing tips you will have more branches growing from below giving you a bushier look.

Agree with what ToC said above.

I would cut the woody stem back further, to the first pair of leaves above the soil line. Then, start pinching, which will maximize fullness. Let me know if you want to learn about pinching. This pilea and the following plants have been pinched. You would never guess it, but all of the coleus are naturally pendulous (trailing/weeping) in their growth habit.

pilea ^^

3 coleus:

The 4 little nursery cans above have 4 species of mint in them. I bet a friend I could grow mint in a pot and keep it full/healthy/orderly. They have also been pinched (and thinned with regularity, too).

Al

TOC- thank you! I knew that cutting could be a good thing, but taking that step is sometimes really difficult🤣! I really am so happy I did though. I was very shocked when I went to water a week later and there were a bunch of new babies!! It was a wonderful surprise.

Tapla (Al), Wow!!! I’m so envious of your amazing plants!!! My mother-in-law gave me an amaryllis 12/2017, and that was my first houseplant ever. I became obsessed and crazed very quickly, researching, reading, and buying everything I could. Unfortunately, none of my friends or family are really in to plants (certainly nowhere compared to me). My mom and mother-in-law have basic info and I surpassed them within 2 months of my addiction. Besides reading everything I could online (even taking online “classes”), I look to experts like you for advice, and am always sincerely grateful for any knowledge you can bestow! Through research, I have learned on my own that pinching involves “pinching” or cutting the tip/ apical meristem, which will result in branching/plant growing more full over time. Any info or advice/knowledge you can give me would be very much appreciated. Even though, I have read everything I can, it doesn’t mean I always understand exactly how that translates to my specific plant/situation. I would love to hear your advice in how I should pinch/cut this pilea to make it look it’s best and be it’s healthiest in the long run.
Btw, if you look at my older posts, you’ll see that I’ve had issues with my aglaos. Even though everyone else says they’re the easiest plants, I had serious issues with lots of yellow leaves anytime I watered. I am now using a variation of Al’s 5-1-1 mix and, so far (quite a few months) my aglaos have been really happy. I started using cactus soil, reptibark, large size perlite for most of my plants, after seeing your posts, and they are crazy healthy and happy!! So, thank you for your wonderful help and advice. Again, and additional help or advice you can provide to me would be very appreciated! Thank you!

ND: You know you can root those clippings from your plant. Gives you more chances to experiment. Here are some of Al's posts on pruning that you may like and keep you busy:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3846058/pinching-japanese-maples?n=15

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5488874/let-s-talk-pruning#n=6

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/3846058/pinching-japanese-maples?n=15