I have a China Doll (radermachera sinica) in my office, and after a few years it's quite tall, maybe 4 ft. I have repotted it twice.
It's too tall and leggy - but how do I prune or pinch it at this point? I can't cut off a foot from the top, or more, can I?
Here's how it looks:
[img]https://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3103/chinadoll.jpg[/img]
- rainbowgardener
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Yeah, apparently China Doll plants are prone to getting leggy like that, especially in low light conditions. You can prune it back to where ever you want it. The new growth will start just below the pruning cut. After that, to keep it more compact and bushy, give it more light and pinch back more regularly.
Thanks for the help. I was afraid that cutting too far down the main stem would kill it.rainbowgardener wrote:Yeah, apparently China Doll plants are prone to getting leggy like that, especially in low light conditions. You can prune it back to where ever you want it. The new growth will start just below the pruning cut. After that, to keep it more compact and bushy, give it more light and pinch back more regularly.
I'm going to cut just above one of the "arm nodules." After the cut, should I add some plant food/fertilizer, or just water like normal?
It gets a little more light than it used to, thanks to my new office that actually has a window to the outside.
cheers,
john