Beginner Gardening: Dieffenbachia Pruning, 1 by tapla

tapla wrote:
As a bonsai practitioner, I can tell you that a fat trunk is best obtained by giving the plant all the light it will tolerate and not pruning it at all. The more leaves you have making food, the faster the plant will lay down cells in the cambium and fatten the trunk and branches. In addition, there is a trick we use to build fat trunks and build taper into the trunk to help make the plant look old.

I might take an elm tree that is 10 ft tall, and cut it off 3" above the soil line. The stub will bud back. I'll then remove all but 1 branch from the back-budding and let that grow very tall - to 8-10 feet, then I will cut that trunk back to about 3" above the previous cut off point. As the trunk grows taller, it fattens the part I'm going to keep as part of my tree. I'll end up with a tree with a 4-6" trunk that is less than 12" tall. From there, I'll start to build a true, quality bonsai.

You can employ a similar technique for your houseplants. When they get too tall, simply cut them back. They will; back-bud & push new branches. Select one branch you think enhances the appearance of the plant and train it upward & let it grow freely. The rest of the branches get removed or cut short. This will result in a short stout plant with a thick stem and lots of foliage.

Al