Require Assistance with my Goldfish Plant

Hello all,

I have a question regarding pruning of a goldfish plant (Nematanthus).

My plant is alive and continues to look okay for the most part, but the leaves seem awfully sparse and when I look at it. I think the leaves are also a little smaller than they could be. I'm wondering if I cut it right back to just above the soil, if that would encourage it to grow back bushier than it is?
At the base of the plant are long, bare, woody stems that I'm assuming are the result of previous trimming or soil loss (?).

To give you an idea of what it looks like, here's a couple photos of the plant base so you can see the woody stems and the leaf density:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/msexton...in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/msexton...n/photostream/
(Sorry they're so blurry, I took them with my iPod touch this morning and the camera isn't the greatest on this thing.)

My efforts to encourage this plant to look more like the one I originally bough, I've been pruning the ends off and planting them back into the same pot, but the existing branches continue to remain sparse in leaves and I've only managed 2 blooms in the past few months.

I currently have it situated in my bathroom (bright, near a large south-facing window but with sheer curtains drawn to avoid direct sunlight). I mist it occasionally as it receives humidity from the showers in the bathroom, and fertilize it when I water it weekly.

So, what say you? Should I cut it right back to the soil? Find a different location for the plant?
Advice and expertise would be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
M

This message was edited Nov 15, 2011 4:57 PM

I treat the plant like a succulent. A coarse, gritty soil mix that drains extremely well, full sun, a 3:1:2 RATIO (different than NPK %s) fertilizer .....

Cutting the plant back hard isn't going to change its growth habit unless you also make changes in the cultural conditions under which it's growing. There are a number of adverse cultural influences that have the potential to cause sparse foliage; chief among them are tight roots, low light, low fertility - particularly nitrogen, and a poor (water-retentive) soil.

Pruning/pinching to maximize ramification (fullness) involves waiting until branches have 3 pairs of leaves, then pruning them back to 1 pair. From that pair, two new branches will grow, and you simply follow the pattern, pruning out any inward growing or crossing branches, just as you would with shrubs in the landscape, along the way.

There is no need to mist this plant. Misting is more likely to be counterproductive than a benefit

Al

Thanks for the info and for your response! Much appreciated.

Can you tell me what causes tight roots? Is it caused by a dense water retentive soil?

Tight roots = rootbound conditions. It occurs as a result of potting up instead of repotting and/or potting up too late and too infrequently. Dense, water-retentive soils simply provide an unfavorable environment for roots in which roots typically die when the soil is at its wettest and begin to regenerate when an adequate volume of air returns to the soil between waterings. Instead of the plant being sable to spend its energy reserves on producing foliage/fruit/blooms, the plant is forced to expend the lions share of its energy on replacing lost roots before it can go about growing normally.

Al