Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Read FAQ stickey...still stupid., 0 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
Brian,

It just depends what you want to do to the mother plant and how many new cuttings you want. Cultivars are genetically different plants so I don't think that is the term that you are looking for. You want 2-3 cuttings; right?

Here is your picture below. To prune in a way that is asthetically pleasing to your parent plant, you could prune either at the blue line or at the red line, but that would give you just one multi-branched cutting. You could prune at the yellow line, and that would give you two multi-branched cuttings, but the parent plant would be left with a center cut branch, from which it would probably grow new branches.

The proper place to cut is really at the pink line because new branches will grow from the nodes of both branches, giving you a fuller tree, and this will give you two multi-branched cuttings.

I would not prune this time of year. Your chances of branch dieback are much greater this time of year. I would prune in the spring when growth begins again. That is the best time for rooting cuttings as well. Cutting now and waiting until spring is risky because your cuttings can easily become desiccated between now and spring. If you do decide to cut now, I would root the cuttings right away on a heat mat under lights indoors this fall and winter. A balanced fertilizer is fine in the spring after your cuttings are rooted and have leaves.