My Philodendron Was a Real Piece of Work
Okay, so I gotta share what went down with my philodendron. This thing, it was a gift, you know? And I love plants, but this one was testing me. It had gone absolutely wild. We’re talking super long, straggly bits with hardly any leaves except way out at the ends. Looked kinda sad and leggy, honestly. Not the lush, full plant I was hoping for. It was just taking up space and looking a bit pathetic, if I’m being real.
Deciding to Finally Do Something
I’d been staring at it for weeks, maybe months, thinking, “I should probably trim that thing.” But, you know how it is. Seemed like a hassle. What if I messed it up? What if I made it look even worse? Or worse, what if I actually killed it? That would be a new low for my plant-parenting skills. But it got to a point where it was just so lanky. I figured, well, it can’t get much spindlier than this, can it? So, I decided today was the day. No more procrastinating.
Getting Down to Business – The Pruning Itself
First things first, I needed some tools. Didn’t have any fancy pruning shears lying around, not the special tiny ones you see in videos. So, I just grabbed my regular, sharp kitchen scissors. Figured they’d do the trick. I gave them a quick wipe, good enough for me.
Then I took a good, hard look at the plant. Trying to figure out a plan of attack. It had all these long vines, some with just a few leaves clinging on for dear life at the very tip. My main goal was to get it to look a bit fuller, maybe encourage some new growth closer to the base of the plant. So, I started snipping.
I looked for those little nubs on the stems, I think they’re called nodes? That’s where new stuff is supposed to grow from, or so I’ve heard. So I’d cut just above one of those. I wasn’t shy about it either. Some of those vines lost a good few inches, maybe even a foot. It felt a bit harsh, chopping away at it, but I kept telling myself it was for the greater good of the plant.
- I focused on the longest, most bare-looking stems first.
- Tried to vary the lengths a bit so it wouldn’t look too much like a buzz cut.
- I left some of the shorter, healthier bits alone. Didn’t want to stress it out completely.
Ended up with quite a pile of cuttings on the table. Some of them actually looked decent enough to try and propagate, so I stuck a few in a jar of water. Waste not, want not, right?
The Waiting Game and What Happened After
Alright, so immediately after the big chop, the philodendron looked… well, a bit naked. And kinda shocked, if plants can look shocked. It was definitely shorter, but also way more sparse. For a couple of days, I was like, “Oh no, what have I done?” I just kept up with its usual watering, put it back in its spot with good light, and hoped for the best. Crossed my fingers, basically.
And guess what? After about a week or two, I started seeing tiny little green specks appearing right near where I’d made the cuts! New leaves! And they were sprouting out further down the stems, which was exactly what I wanted. Over the next few weeks, those little specks turned into actual leaves, and the whole plant started to fill out. It began to look much healthier, much bushier. Not like a super dense jungle monster yet, but definitely way better than before.
So, Was It Worth It?
Totally. That pruning session, even though I was just winging it with kitchen scissors, made a huge difference. The plant looks happier, I think. And I’m definitely happier looking at it. It’s a good reminder that sometimes you just gotta jump in and do the thing, even if you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing. Plants are pretty resilient, turns out. And now I’ve got a few baby philodendrons rooting in water too. Bonus!
