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The year I started cutting my philodendron stems instead of ripping them off
Used to just yank leaves off my philodendron when they looked rough and wondered why it kept getting all scraggly. Last spring I finally started using sharp pruners and making clean cuts right above a node and the new growth is so much denser. Anyone else make the switch from the pull method and see a big difference?
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elizabeththomas2d ago
The pull method nearly killed my marble queen last year. I was yanking at these sad yellow leaves and ripped a whole chunk of the stem off by accident. Once I switched to those little bonsai shears and made cuts right above the node, the plant went crazy pushing out new leaves from those spots. My burle marx especially loves the clean cuts, it's putting out these huge fenestrated leaves now where before I just had bare stems. Night and day difference, I tell everyone who will listen to stop ripping and start snipping.
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grant.parker2d ago
I seriously agree with @elizabeththomas on this. The pull method is way too risky for delicate stems. I did the same thing with my micans where a yellow leaf ripped half the growth point off. Switching to sharp shears was the best move I made for my plants. Clean cuts heal faster and you get way more branching. My heartleaf philodendron went from a few long bare vines to this bushy monster in just a couple months. I keep telling people ripping leaves off is setting your plant back big time.
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