Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Old branches??, 1 by Clare_CA

Clare_CA wrote:
The first one, you can either cut or break it off. It looks like dead wood anyway. It is a center cut, which is the middle part of the branch that was rooted and that sprouted new branches. The scar will eventually fade with time and won't be so noticable.

On the second one, you can cut off the brown part, the dead wood, but I wouldn't cut off the good wood because it may very well sprout branches from those nodes, giving you a fuller plant, more branches, and more chances for bloom.

My recommendation with any center cut is to leave it alone and let it grow and take shape and pruning can be done after a clear shape is visible. If you don't like the look of the center cut, you can always cut off it's branches and root them as single tips later on (preferably in the spring or summer) after they have reached 8-12 inches long. The cut base will then probably sprout more branches.

This is one of my center cuts of 'Brad's White' that I sent out to many people here recently. It is a mid-branch cut that has grown and taken on a new shape. Soon, the old scars won't hardly be visible.