One aspect of plant care that often causes a few headaches is pruning. How and when it should be done varies from plant to plant, and if done improperly can harm your plants or delay your flowering or fruiting time.
Here are a few basic tips so you can enjoy your flowers, fruit and even your pruning:
First things first …
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
I am a tool fanatic, and proper pruning is impossible without the right tools.
Secateurs
They are used for the young and thinner branches and always should be sharp to avoid tearing and splitting twigs and branches.
Lopper or long-handled secateurs
They give you more strength to cut thicker branches, and also give you added leverage to reach way into bushy shrubs or up into a tree.
Pruning saw
For the thick branches or trees or older shrubs.
Hedging shears
For the pruning and shaping of formal hedges and topiaries, or general trimming of shrubs.
All these tools should be kept sharp so that they will cut cleanly and easily. It is also good practice to wash all these tools after use with soapy water and to sterilise them by wiping it with ethanol. This prevents the spread of pests and diseases in your garden. Always dry thoroughly after cleaning to prevent rust and grease all the moving parts.
Pruning tips for al shrubs, roses and fruit trees
1. Remove all dead, diseased or broken twigs and branches;
2. Remove water sprouts, suckers and crossing branches;
3. Remove all crowded and crossing growth that doesn’t allow air circulation (especially when in full foliage);
There is one basic rule for shrubs, climbers or groundcover and succulents that only flower once a year: they need to be pruned or trimmed immediately after flowering has stopped.
In autumn and winter, you should prune back the following shrubs after flowering:
Hydrangeas need to be pruned mid-July, and you need to prune one- third of the plant back.
Roses and fruit trees (deciduous fruit trees) also needs pruning in their dormant season. With roses half to two- thirds of the branches needs to be pruned back. Always cut above an outward-facing node.
Bonsai and formal hedges need regular pruning or trimming to keep their shape.
Pruning encourages new growth, helps manage the size of plants, promotes better blooms and fruit, and also healthier plants. After pruning, remember to give your plants a good mulch which will help your plants with that extra “vooma” when new growth starts.
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Pruning and winter go hand in hand and play an essential part of a plant’s care whether it is a tree, shrub or groundcover. July in the Cape is rainy, windy and cold outside but this is the time to do pruning to encourage healthy growth, flowers and fruit for summer.
Why do we need to prune?
1. Your first objective is to maintain the health of your plants by keeping your plants free from dead or diseased branches, and encourage new growth and healthy-looking plants;
2. Prune to shape your plant as it grows, especially when it is young to make it bushier or more compact when using plants as a hedge;
3. To prevent a plant getting too large for the space it was originally planted in, or when blocking a beautiful view;
4. Plants can become old and leggy, but you can rejuvenate them by pruning them back, especially fast-growing plants needs regular pruning;
5. Prune to correct some defect like eliminating branches that rub against other branches, or so that more light or water can reach the inner branches or improve air circulation. Pruning branches to correct the balance between the crown and roots promotes healthy plants;
6. If your plant is a flowering or fruiting type, you need to prune to encourage the best conditions for prolific flowering and fruiting. Additionally, this allows air and sun to reach fruit in the centre;
7. To achieve sculptural shapes, known as topiaries, the two-dimensional pattern achieved by pruning and tying fruit trees or shrubs to a frame (known as espalier). The deliberate dwarfing of certain trees or shrubs that mimic the shape of fully-grown trees in a small container (known as bonsai). These are all fashion novelties, and these differently trained or shaped plants are used as an architectural elaboration of your house.
Pruning is more than simply cutting of branches of a tree or a shrub to keep it from overgrowing. Pruning is the key to controlling the size or shape of your plants, their flowers and fruit. It also promotes new life in your garden as well as healthier and better-looking plants.
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My favourite houseplants aren’t actually that unusual or exotic. The plants that make me happy are, and you have guessed right, yes, it is succulents! I love to use them in my house, not only as houseplants but also in informal flower and plant arrangements. Succulents remind me that beauty can be found in the ordinary and that not everything has to be structured in life.
The surprising variety of sizes, shapes and colours makes them stunning decorative houseplants. Miniature varieties such as Haworthia will fit on the narrowest windowsill, and trailing types such as Senecio (Curio), provide striking displays in hanging baskets. They are among the easiest of plants to grow indoors and are every bit as beautiful as they are rewarding. Anyone interested in foliage house plants should consider growing succulents indoor.
Growing Succulents Indoors requires 3 basic rules
Start with the right soil and container
If you are planting your own succulents, buy and use a fast-draining cactus mix. If you can’t get hold of a cactus mix, make your own by using 4 parts potting soil and 1 part either coarse sand or perlite. Also, ensure that your pots have enough drainage holes as good drainage is vital. Because succulents grow slowly, they seldom need repotting.
Watering your indoor succulents
Killing your succulents by overwatering them is far more common than underwatering them. Succulents like it when the soil dries out between watering. You must know that indoor succulent plants require a certain amount of neglect. They need little watering since they have the ability to store their own water supplies within their fleshy leaves, stems and roots. If you water small pots once a week and large pots about every second week, it will be sufficient, but always check and feel first if the soil is dry. Remember they need less watering in winter than in summer.
PS. If you were lucky to receive a succulent houseplant in a container without drainage holes, you have to water even less.
PPS. In addition to watering, fertilize every spring with a liquid fertilizer.
Light
The trend of modern architecture towards larger windows and open interior spaces, as well as the use of air-conditioning for heating and cooling, provide excellent growing conditions for indoor succulents. They grow best in bright light, and even a few hours of direct sunlight will help to develop their best foliage colours. Just imagine how Sempervivum tectorum, Euphorbia triculli and the Euphorbia milii will flower in bright light. NB: please remember Euphorbia species are poisonous and caution should be taken when using indoors. Portulacaria afra, Senecio ficiodes, Cotyledon orbiculata and flanaganii, Crassula ovata and muscosa, Aeonium arboreum, and Echeveria elegans will get leggy if not in bright light. East, south or west windows that get a few hours of direct sunlight, is the best position for succulents. Sansevieria trifasciata and Aloe vera are the exceptions and they will tolerate fairly low light levels.
Succulents, given the proper conditions and a minimum of basic care, will provide pleasure for years.
Please send us some photos of your indoor (or outdoor) succulents. We will love to see them!
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Succulents are surging in popularity for several simple reasons. They are:
water wise
nearly indestructible
beautiful
adds colour and texture to your garden
easy to grow
easy to find especially those indigenous to South Africa.
They also include some well-known medicinal plants. Even if you’re not a
huge enthusiast when it comes to natural remedies, chances are you’ve heard of
some of the health benefits of Bulbine frutescens and Carpobrotus edulis.
Bulbine
frutescens
Common names: Cats tail, Burn jelly plant, Balsem kopieva
Bulbine frutescens occurs widespread
throughout Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and Kwazulu
Natal. It has great value in the home garden where it is a useful first-aid
remedy for children’s everyday knocks and scrapes. Fresh leaves produce a
jelly-like juice, squeezed and frequently applied, is amazingly effective to
take care of a wide range of skin conditions and wounds. The list is
endless: acne, burns, blisters, cold
sore (even in your mouth), cracked lips, nails and heels, insect bites, mouth ulcers
and sunburn. Also, very effective for treating wounds, sores and rashes on both
human and on animals.
The healing effect is likely due to glycoprotein,
which is also present in the leaf gel of the Aloe species. In Limpopo Province,
plantations of Bulbine frutescens have been established where innovative
commerce skincare products are being produced. Some commercial shampoos include
it as a moisturizer.
This easy to grow succulent for full sun
and beautiful orange or yellow flowers in spring and summer is really one of
nature’s finest medicinal plants. Used externally, Bulbine species are
reasonably safe – just be sure to check for allergic reactions. Use with
caution internally.
Carpobrotus
Carpobrotus
spp.
Common names: Sour fig, Suurvy, Vyerank
Carpobrotus spp. are a superb water-wise plant, indigenous and frequently used as a sand binder, dune and embankment stabilizer, and also as a fire-resistant barrier. The yellow or pinkish flowers in spring are followed by edible fruit and is a very powerful remedy for constipation. The fruit can also be used for cooking jam.
Leaf juice is astringent and mildly
antiseptic and if mixed with water and swallowed, it can treat diarrhoea and
stomach cramps. It also can be used as a gargle to treat laryngitis, sore
throat and mouth infections. Simply by chewing a leaf tip and swallowing the
juice will help to ease a sore throat.
A crushed leave is a famous soothing cure
for blue-bottle stings and, being a good coastal groundcover, it is often on
hand when needed. The leaf juice is also used as a soothing lotion for burns,
bruises, scrapes, cuts, grazes and even sunburn. It can be applied to cracked
lips and to cold sores on and around the mouth.
Bulbine frutescens and Carpobrotus spp. are both useful plants to have
in the garden, not only for its remarkable medicinal values but also for its
ability to survive almost anywhere with minimum attention. With very little water and care, these plants
are a must for every garden.
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People have practised natural medicine for centuries before modern technology, and it is still used throughout the world for health promotion and for the treatment of diseases. Medicinal plants are more affordable than conventional medicine, easy to obtain, more cost-effective, has fewer side effects, and they utilise the body’s natural healing process, especially succulents.
It is important to remember that you should always double-check with your doctor before consuming anything new for your body. Also, refrain from using any pesticides or any harmful chemicals on your plants because you don’t want any of those chemicals in or on your body.
Sempervivum tectorum
Common name:
House leek, Hens and chickens
This low
growing rosette-forming succulent, from native Europe, has juice and leaves which
have been used in folk remedies for centuries. It has anti-inflammatory,
diuretic (increases the amount of water and is expelled from the body as urine)
and astringent (helps body tissues to shrink) properties. Sempervivum is
firstly famous for its skin treatment like burns, sunburn, swelling, scratches,
insect bites and abrasions by using the juicy fluid from the leaves. Secondly,
for earache. Here you can use cotton wool, soaked in the juice of the leaves of
Sempervivum, and leave it in the ear for several hours. For side effects, please
note some people can be allergic.
Interestingly,
Romans used to plant Sempervivum in front of the windows of their houses
because they believed the plant was a love medicine.
Portulaca afra
Common name:
Spekboom
This wonder plant of South Africa has leaves which are thirst-quenching and will help with over-exhaustion, heatstroke and dehydration. This is a helpful trick for hikers and mountain climbers as this shrub occur naturally on rocky hillsides in the Karoo. The leaf is chewed and sucked and can also be used as a treatment for sore throats and mouth infections. Rubbing the leaf juice over blisters and corns helps to soothe and heal them too. The antiseptic leaf juicy is also good for treating acne, rashes, insect bites and sunburn.
Additionally, these succulents are a valuable stock food and can be used in your salad.
Crassula ovata
Crassula ovata
Common name:
Jade Plant, Lucky Plant
Crassula ovata
is not a major alternate medicinal plant but is recommended for warts. A leaf is
cut open and the moist flesh is bound over the wart for several days with a
plaster over it. Should the treatment be successful, the wart will fall off. It
is also used for treating corns.
Cotyledon
orbiculata
Common name:
Plakkie, Pig’s Ear
The leaves of this beautiful grey-leaved shrub with its orange-red tubular flower can be pulped and hot water poured over it, then drained and used as a poultice (a soft, moist mass applied to the body and kept in place with a cloth) for drawing infection out of wounds and sores. You can also place a piece of the leave that has been scraped, over a wart and secure it with a plaster for up to 2 weeks. This treatment softens the wart and the wart should fall out. Warmed leaves applied to boils, abscesses, corns and also blisters can also be treated.
Crassula muscosa
Crassula muscosa
Common name:
Lizard Tail, Skoenveterplakkie
This highly
recognisable plant with its exciting architectural leaves and minute yellow
flowers during summer are medicinally used to treat abdominal pain and
diarrhoea. Infusions of the plant can be made but must be used sparingly.
Always remember it can be dangerous to use succulents as medicine
without the supervision of someone who knows what he or she is doing, or
without the knowledge of your doctor. I hope everybody will look with new eyes at
succulents.
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