How To Prune Houseplants: 5 Valuable Tips

Lindsay Olin
4 min readJan 28, 2024
Prune houseplants to keep them looking their best.
Photo by HBS on Adobe Stock

Houseplants are fantastic for enhancing your indoor spaces and bringing the beauty of nature indoors. In most cases, it’s necessary to prune houseplants regularly to keep them looking their best.

However, be sure to check the care recommendations for each type of plant before making any cuts to ensure you don’t do any accidental damage. Some plants can handle getting pruned frequently and vigorously, while others should only get an occasional, light trim. Keep reading to learn essential tips and tricks about how to prune houseplants.

What You’ll Need to Prune Houseplants

Before you get started, gather a few simple tools.

  • Sharp pruning shears or scissors
  • Gardening gloves (especially for plants with thorns or prickly leaves)
  • Rubbing alcohol or hot soapy water
  • Clean cloth or paper towels
  • Old newspaper (optional)

How To Prune Houseplants

Pruning is a fundamental part of houseplant care. Firstly, getting rid of damaged or dead leaves and branches improves the plant’s overall appearance and health. Furthermore, eliminating any infected or insect-infested parts of a plant reduces the risk of pest and disease…

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Lindsay Olin

Crazy plant lady, daydreamer, traveler, and freelance writer. Support more garden gab at https://gardengnomeacademy.com/