Tropicals & Tender Perennials: How to prune Solanum pyracanthum?, 1 by nmcnear

nmcnear wrote:
Sorry I'm not sure where would be best to post this message - are plants from Madagascar considered tropicals? When I bought a couple of these plants as a few small, spiky twigs I wasn't sure how they were going to do, but they have really been taking off! They are now over three feet tall and about as wide as well, and I'm wondering how/when I should prune them to keep their growth in check. The way they are growing now, I feel like I could just hack them to the ground and they would be back to this size by winter, but I don't think that's the way to go since I have basically no knowledge of how Solanum grows. What is the best time of year to prune these plants? And how much should I take off? Thanks for any info!