What Pros Know About Plants That Beginners Don't

If your plants never quite thrive the way that you expect, even though you're doing everything right, there's a reason for that, and it's not bad luck. There are a handful of things experienced growers understand that most beginners completely miss. And once you see them, everything clicks into place.

So, in this video, I've brought together the most important lessons around soil, roots, watering, and pruning. The stuff pros don't even think twice about, but makes all the difference. It's all timestamped down below, so feel free to jump around.

These three pots look more or less the same, don't they? Three pots of soil ideal for growing plants. But the truth is, they're completely different. One of them is going to help your plant thrive. One of them will quietly choke the roots until everything slows down. And one, if you're unlucky, will kill the plant before you even realize what's going on. Because when it comes to indoor plants, what's under the surface is everything.

And the biggest reason so many house plants struggle is not what most people think. It's not overwatering. It's not neglect. It's the soil. Most beginners think that soil is just the stuff that holds the plant in place. But if the roots are sitting in the wrong mix, everything else becomes a guessing game. So, in this video, I'll show you exactly what's going wrong inside that pot and what the pros do differently to make sure that their plants fry from the ground up.

Let's start with a truth bomb. Most beginners don't hear. Indoor plant soil isn't soil. Not in the way you think. What we use for house plants isn't the rich living earth you dig up from your garden. It's a potting mix, a man-made blend designed to be lightweight, sterile, and manageable in containers. But even then, not all potting mixes are created equal.

Most bag mixes are made from some combination of core or pete to hold water, perlite to help with air flow, and maybe a bit of bark or even compost for structuring nutrients. It's meant to create the right balance between moisture and oxygen around your plant's roots because that's the goal. It's not just hold the plant in place. It's create a breathable living root environment. But the issue is that balance is as fragile as your caliphate will to live. If there's too much water retention and you end up with the dreaded root rot. On the other hand, if there's too much drainage, then your plant dries out quicker than a sheffeler in the sun. And most off-the-shelf mixes lean too far in the wrong direction, especially indoors where air flow is limited and water evaporates much slower than outside.

So when pros talk about soil, what they actually mean is a root environment tailored to the plant and the space it lives in. And that starts with understanding this brown stuff isn't just dirt. It's a life support system. If you get that right, the rest becomes easier.

Let's talk about the classic rookie errors. the things that I've most definitely done and the things that you've probably done, too, and the things that make your plants sit there looking miserable like they just caught themselves in a Sheffle made plants video about 10 plants not to buy.

First up, buy multi-purpose compost for indoor plants. This is probably the most common one. You're in the garden center, you see that big bag that says perfect for all plants, and you think easy. I was that person, too. But that mix is almost always designed for outdoor use. It's great for flower beds, hanging baskets, and vegetable patches, you know, environments with wind, sun, worms, and actual drainage. But indoors where air flow is low, and pots are small, that stuff holds onto water like a kitchen sponge left in the sink. The texture is too heavy, too dense, and once it gets wet, it stays wet. Your roots end up trapped in damp, compacted sludge. It's basically like putting your plant in a soggy sleeping bag and wondering why it's not growing.

Next, using the same mix for every plant. This is the soil equivalent of giving every member of your family the same haircut, even the bald uncle. Doesn't make sense, does it? Succulents want fast drainage. Aoids like chunky mixes with air pockets. Caliphates want something finer, a bit moisture retentive, but definitely not swampy. You don't need a different mix for every single plant. But if you're using one generic blend across absolutely everything, then you're always going to have one group that's unhappy. And if it's the fussy ones like calfas, then they will let you know loudly with brown edges and passive aggressive drooping.

Another one is not understanding how air flow works. People think soil is all about water, but it's actually more about the air. Roots need oxygen just as much as they need moisture. When your soil compacts over time, which cheap mixes tend to do, oxygen can't get in and the roots suffocate. Your water and the plant still looks limp. So, you do what anyone would do. You water more. But now the roots are wet, oxygen starved, and vulnerable to rot.

And then we got moisture control mixes. They sound helpful, like they're doing the thinking for you, but in reality, they're a trap. These mixes often contain polymers that hold on to water for longer, which is fine if you're growing tomatoes on a sunny patio, for example, but indoors, it just keeps the roots wet for too long. Especially in winter when the plant's not drinking as much, these soils turn into moldy wet cake batter. You check your plant in spring and it's rotted away quietly over Christmas while you were busy watching the Gavin and Stacy special.

There's also a time bomb hidden in pee heavy mixes. When pee dries out, it becomes hydrophobic. So, water just runs off the surface instead of actually soaking in. So, you water your plant, think it's fine, but the middle of the pot is bone dry. Then you overwater to compensate, and now you got dry spots and soggy patches all in the same pot.

All these mistakes are understandable. Most of the advice out there is vague or written on the back of a bag by someone who's never actually grown anything indoors. But once you learn what's actually happening under the surface, then you start to see how all these things add up. Most beginners grab a bag or whatever looks good, chuck it in the pot, and hope for the best. But pros build the mix around the plant. Because no matter how pretty the leaves are, nothing grows well with bad foundations.

It starts with three things: drainage, aation, and moisture retention. Think of it like fine-tuning an instrument. If one element is off, like too much water or not enough air or soil that dries out too fast, then the whole thing resembles a 2-year-old banging on a piano.

So, let's break it down with real examples. If you're growing aids like monsteras or filidendrrons and singoniums, you want a mix that holds some moisture but drains well and lets the roots breathe. Coconut core is a great base because it holds water but doesn't get too soggy. Perlite is used in pretty much all mixes because it creates air pockets for oxygen to get in and help the roots breathe. Bath and coconut husks are a great addition to open it all up even further. When you water this mix, you should find out it holds just enough moisture but then dries out evenly, which is exactly what these plants want.

If you're growing succulents, cacti, or even snake plants, the job is to get the water in and out again fast. These plants store water in their leaves, so the mix shouldn't stay wet for too long. These mixes should start with core, then have a load of grit or pummus mixed in. No compost or anything that holds water for too long. You water it, it drains in seconds, and the roots get what they need without sitting around in moisture. Now, these mixes feel dry within a few days, which is perfect.

For ferns, caliphates, and prayer plants, it's a different story. These plants want consistent moisture, not wetness, just steady hydration. So, the mix needs to hold water a little longer, but still let the roots breathe. I go heavier on core. Add a touch of vermiculite for extra moisture retention and just enough perlite to stop it getting claggy. Think rainforest floor. Soft, springy, but never soggy.

Now, to really get things right, we shouldn't just think about the soil on its own. There are a couple of things that can make things better or worse for your plant. One of them is pots. Plastic dries out slowly, while terra cotta dries out much faster, and small pots dry quicker than big ones. So, the same plant in two different parts might need slightly different soil. If I'm planting something thirsty in terra cotta pot, then I'll use less drainage material. If it's going in plastic, then I'll open the mix up a bit more. And your environment plays a big part, too. Plants near radiators in bright sun or next to a window will dry out faster than ones in a shady corner. So, you can't just follow the one sizefits-all recipe. That's the trap. You got to adjust based on your conditions.

There's one last piece that trips people up and it's happening before the soil even gets to your plant. Let's say you're in the indoor plant section and you're looking for some soil. In most cases, at least here in Sheffield, the soil is sold in bags with tiny perforations. Avoid these soils. The idea is is that the soil can breathe during storage. Maybe that makes sense for big outdoor planters or raised beds, but for indoor plants is a disaster waiting to happen. Those little holes allow air and humidity to interact with the organic material inside. They're basically letting it breathe. This suggests that what's inside is alive, and we don't want that for indoor plants. We prefer a sterile mix that is made primarily from coconut core. By the time you open it, you might be unleashing fungus nuts before your plant even touches it. This is one of the most common ways people get fungus nuts in their homes, and they never suspect the soil. The bag looked clean and the mix looked fine, but it was already compromised. Try to always use sealed bags with no holes designed for indoor use. It's why I use Cyber Botanic as pre-made mixes. It's helped keep my nats to a modest rather than biblical level.

Let's finish strong with some bonus tips that pro growers use all the time. The kind of stuff that doesn't make it onto a care label, but quietly makes you a much better plant bearing.

Try to check the texture before you pot up. This is your first line of defense. Take a handful of the mix and give it a good squeeze. If water runs out between your fingers, it's potentially holding on to too much moisture. If it squishes into a tight clump and stays like that, then it's probably too compact. Your roots won't be able to breathe. What you want is a mix that clumps loosely but falls apart easily when you tap it. That tells you it's got both structure and air flow.

Using clear plastic pots is hands down one of the best ways to get a better understanding of your soil. With a clear nursery pot, you can see when the soil is drying out, if water's pooling at the bottom, and you can literally watch the roots growing or even rotting. It removes all the guesswork. No need to wonder if the mix is drying evenly or if the roots are reaching the bottom. You'll see it all. And once you know what healthy roots actually look like, you'll start catching problems early before your plants start screaming at you with crispy leaves.

Now, this next tip, stop me destroying my plants. Stop watering by calendar and start using weight. Forget the old advice about watering once a week or every few days. That's how you end up with root rot one week and bone dry soil the next. Instead, lift the pot after you watered it. Feel how heavy it is. Then wait a few days and lift it again. As the water evaporates and the plant drinks, the weight will drop. It sounds basic, but it's one of the best indicators of whether the soil still moist down where it matters.

And even the best soil mix doesn't last forever. Over time, organic materials break down, bark turns to mush, core starts seriously compacting, and perlite tends to settle at the top for some reason, and suddenly your free draining airy mix has turned into something dense and stale that doesn't hold on to water or oxygen properly. Now, you don't always need to repot completely. Sometimes just removing the top third and replacing it with fresh mix is enough to per things up. But if the plant's been in the same soil for more than 2 years, then it's probably time for a full refresh.

Have you ever pulled a plant out of its pot and wondered where all the soil's gone? It's just a pot full of roots, right? And you can swear there was loads of soil in there last year. This is a mystery that I've struggled to put my finger on. But one thing that is clear is that said plant is very rootbound. It was probably rootbound 6 months ago and it's probably been screaming at you that he's in trouble and needs your attention. That screaming usually manifests itself in yellowing leaves and a general grumpiness that stops him from growing.

But when is the optimal point that you should repot your plant? At what point does a plant start being rootbound?

>> Well, in my mind, there are three levels to a rootbound plant, and knowing each one will keep your plant in tip-top shape. This is level one, and as you can see, it's not too bad at all. Lots of soil still in the pot and the roots aren't circling at the bottom in any significant way. This guy would continue to happily live in his pot, but will probably need upsizing in a few months. One to keep an eye on.

This gal is level two. She's got some legs that are starting to swirl around the bottom of the pot because they got nowhere else to go. So, we could do with upsizing her today to set her back on track. A level two plot might have roots poking out of the bottom of the pot. But don't let this fool you into thinking this always means rootbound. It could just be the roots following the water, especially if you bottom water like I mostly do.

Now we get to the real spaghetti party. This, my plant friend, is level three. And really, we want to avoid level three. It shows we're neglectful plant parents, and our dear darling might not forgive us. This guy should have been repotted months or even years ago. The soil is gone and it's basically a mass of roots.

So, those are the levels of a rootbound plant. But why does it even matter? What's the worst that can happen if we just let bygones be bygones? Well, it might seem a bit obvious, but your little guy is relying on the soil in the pot to keep him happy. If the soil is gone, then there's nothing to hold on to water. When a plant is starved in nutrients for a long time, growth is massively stalled. A good reason why yours has perhaps stopped growing recently. You might have noticed a couple of your plants needing a drink more regularly than normal, maybe twice a week instead of once. This is a sign that roots are starting to take over. You pour water in, the roots get wet, and because there's very little soil, things go dry very, very quickly. It's not good. There's also a lack of nutrients, and this is the main reason that we see yellowing leaves in a rootbound plant. The roots need access to nutrients through the soil.

By the way, diagnosing the cause or symptoms like these are so much easier with the help of my free plant troubleshooing handbook that you can download by checking out the description to this video. Is it too little or too much nutrients, too much sun, too much water? This will point you in the right direction. And the best part is it's completely free. So check it out.

Now, you don't have to pull your plant's trousers down to necessarily tell if your guy's rootbound. There are a few signs that should act as a warning sign if you begin to notice them. Like I mentioned already, fast drying tends to be the first giveaway. Slow growth and yellowing is the second and third. But then, have you noticed that your little gal seems to be on her tippy toes, like she's coming out of the pot all by herself? This is the roots going all level free, taking over the pot and pushing the plant up and over. You can see this with my alicasia fried deck that is living in pond. The plant used to be much lower down, but now that the roots have grown so much, she's now pushing herself out of the pot.

Now that we've identified that our plant is rootbound, we now need to repot him the right way so that we keep our plant on side. There are five basic steps to repotting a plant.

Step one, pull his trousers down, otherwise known as removing him from the container. Hang on, Mr. Sheffield. When should we be doing this? Only in spring, right? Well, actually, no. Repotting can be done at any time of year. As long as you don't live in a fridge, then roots will continue to happily grow all year. So have no fear about repotting them in winter. I've done it countless times. So expose his bor parts and assess the damage. I like to do this when the plant isn't soaking wet. Otherwise, it just creates an almighty mess in my living room. If you're at level three with your guy, then you'll need to massage the sides of the pot to get him out. Sometimes they can be very reluctant to get their nappy off. If you're still struggling, then scrape the sides of the pot with a knife or something. Try not to hack into the roots too much, although that's not a major issue, as you'll see in a sec. When you feel like he's ready to show his head, pull the crown from the plant gently. Get a sturdy grip of the main part of the plant so you don't rip any stems or leaves or even behead him entirely.

Step two, tease the roots. Don't go mad here. If the plant is level two rootbound, then a light untangling of the bottom bits to stop the swirling motion is plenty good enough. Level three might need a bit more fondling, but it's not necessary to break everything apart. If you are struggling to untangle because she's gone to level four, then hack off the ends with a nice sharp knife. This won't kill the plant. Trust me, I've done this lots of times to many plants and they still love me, I think.

Step three, place into a new container. Grab your container of choice and put a layer of soil at the bottom and then pop your little guy on top. Now, this is where you can easily kill your plant. Make sure the soil line is where it was originally. Don't go deeper. This is crucial. You can get away with going a bit higher, but going deeper is potential to rot the stem of the crown of the plant, which would be a disaster. I know it's tricky to anchor the plant into the soil sometimes and to avoid her tipping over, it's easy to just pile more soil up against the stem, but she really won't thank you for it. If things are a little bit floppy, then it won't matter too much. Things should start to anchor down soon enough and straighten out nicely. I like to line up the crown of the plant just underneath the lip of the pot and then back fill around with soil. There'll be lots of air pockets in and around the roots, so give the pot a tap here and a bounce there. Make that booty dance. Double check that the soil is at the same level as it was originally. This really is the number one plant killer. Now, it's a great idea to leave some space between the lip of the container and the soil. More for your own sanity than anything else. Go too high and water always spills over when you give her a drink. Nightmare.

Step four, water. This is one of the most important parts of repotting and where I see grave mistakes. You might be thinking, "You only gave the plant a drink a couple of days ago, so she won't need another now." But the truth is, watering after repotting is crucial, even if you only watered yesterday. This settles the soil around the roots by getting rid of hidden air gaps and make sure the soil is as close as possible to the roots. Don't worry about overwatering. You can't really overwater by giving a drink so soon after his last one. Overwatering is much more about watering over weeks and months and keeping the soil saturated and rotting the roots. I always notice holes in the soil after watering because an air pocket has been filled. So, I go back in and top up with a bit more salt to neaten it all up.

And step five, prune back some foliage if needed. This is optional, but I do like to give my plants a we haircut after just to get rid of any split ends or strands that are losing the color or anything that looks a bit awkward. It will help the plant focus on growing new roots in their new home. Nothing drastic, just a few light cuts here and there.

Now that we've sorted the rootbound issue, let's talk about the other half of the equation, the soil you're putting your little guy into. Because if the mix is wrong, you can undo all the good work of repotting in about a week. Here's the truth that the pros know. There is no one perfect soil mix. It all depends on the plant. What every plant does need though is drainage. Roots need oxygen just as much as they need water. So, the soil has to hold moisture without turning into a swamp. Think of it similar to a sponge. You want something that holds on to enough water for your plant to sit throughout the week, but still let excess water drain away so that the roots can actually breathe.

For most house plants, a good allrounder mix looks something like this. Five parts coconut core and two parts perlite and an optional one part horicultural charcoal. This keeps things nice and airy and stops the soil collapsing into a heavy compacted mess that suffocates roots. If you've ever repotted a plant only to find that it's wilting again a few days later, then nine times out of 10 it's because the soil is holding on to too much water and not enough oxygen.

But then you got the drama queens. Plants like monsteras, filidendrrons, hoyers, and anthetheriums prefer an even chunkier mix with added bark or coconut husks so that the roots can stretch and climb through the gaps. Meanwhile, ferns, calf, and peace liies prefer something a little softer and more moisture retentive because they're thirstier and hate drying out completely. For those, I like to add two parts vermiculite. Vmiculi is great because it creates air pockets, but also retains moisture, releasing it slowly into the soil.

The absolute most important thing to remember when it comes to watering your plants is that you can't give it too much. Yeah, that's right. Contrary to what you might have heard, it's impossible. Best practice is to grab your plant and drench that sucker until you run out of water. Do it as many times as you like, and the plant will just lap it up and say, "Thank you very much." Yes, you can even do this with snake plants and succulents. I challenge you to try and give yours too much, although you might be there a while, mind you, so best not to take me up on that.

I get so many comments in my videos from worried plant parents fatting about how much water to give. You hear about the horrors of overwatering from every corner of the internet and sometimes it feels like you need a PhD in bot just to know what the correct thing to do is. But once you know the few basic things I'm showing in this video, it's really not too taxing. I was this exact same worried plant parent just a few years ago. But once I came to the realization that overwatering is to do with frequency rather than quantity, my mind was at ease. The crux of it is this. Your plant hates having wet feet. In other words, it doesn't like to be sat in soggy soil all the time. This means if you're over generous with the watering can and water every three days, then you'll have a mutiny on your hands. They'll down tools and make a mockery of you behind your back. Chances are the soil will constantly be wet, and this is the perfect breeding ground for rot to take hold of the roots. And it's not the water that does the damage. Plants can live in water after all, or hydroponically if you want to get fancy. No, it's actually the lack of oxygen. Soggy soil deprivives the root ball of oxygen and the roots start to turn black and mushy and die off. Not pretty. And this has a fancy name, too. Anorobic soil. Look it up if you can be bothered. This is why plants can live in water. There's no soil messing things up, suffocating the roots of oxygen. Change the water every week and you're absolutely fine.

All of this is to say that you're probably worrying about the wrong thing. Your focus should be on determining when the soil is dry and ready for water and not on how much you're giving. It's really that simple. I say this all the time in my videos to the point where most of you probably feel like you're part of some sort of cult. But water your plant when the soil is dry. Repeat after me. Water when the soil is dry.

Of course, there are tons of ways we can do this. Most people's favorite method is to give your little green friend a good fingering, so to speak. And if that's working for you, then have at it. I find my fingers to be untrustworthy at the best of times, though. So, I put my faith in something else. You can use a good old chopstick if you so desire, but I find that you're waiting around a bit too long for results. I mean, I can't be doing this for every plant. I've got two kids constantly nagging me for my attention. Now, I'm on a crusade to get every plant parent in the world to own a moisture meter because they're quick, easy, and reliable. If you haven't got one yet, you're missing out. Plus, I get a few pennies for every purchase off my Amazon page. Go on, it's linked below.

Using a moisture meter means no more guessing, which equals no more ftting, which equals no more sleepless nights. Stick it in and only water when it reads dry. That applies to pretty much all plants, too. Fasos, filidendron, monsteras, succulents, you name it. Even calf need the soil to dry out somewhat. People say they like moist soil, but believe me, they hate wet soil more. I try and aim to water them when the meter is just going into the dry zone. The school of thought seems to be that you need to do a background check on all your plants to know how much water they need. But honestly, this extra work isn't necessary. Always wait for the soil to dry out. I can't think of too many exceptions to this apart from the bog loving plants like the meat eaters of this world. To labor the point just a little bit more, I'd stay clear of litting plant apps telling you when to water your little green friends. I mean, how does it know how dry the soil of your little guy is? It's guessing and potentially leading you down the garden path. Don't get me wrong, they can be useful for reminding you when to fertilize, etc. But for watering, I'll just use your own judgment.

Now, nailing your watering isn't only about the water. There are many more layers to the onion that we need to peel. Let me explain.

Now, to stop your plants from dying a slow, torturous death from root rot, you need to keep them in good free draining soil. What on earth is free draining soil, I hear you cry. Well, it's soil with lots of air pockets that allows excess water to flow freely out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. The aim of the game of plant care is to not have excess water lingering around like a fart in an elevator. A heavy soil such as clay or even compost from the garden is not free draining. Water can't easily escape and stays in the soil for too long. And if there's roots in there, then it really is good night Vienna.

So, what can we do to stop this nightmare from happening? You can either amend your own mix with additives like perlite and bark, or you can buy a decent ready-made mix from somewhere like Cyberanica. Perlite really is plant gold. It's super lightweight and when added to soil makes it as fluffy and light as a freshly baked scone. You can even stick your plants in just perlite. As long as you feed them correctly, which does sound somewhat appealing, doesn't it? Not just for the root health, but also for the fact that those pesky gnats can't make hay in perlite. I'll do anything to keep them out of my house. So, a good base mix you can make for yourself would be five parts coconut core, two parts perlite, and one part horicultural charcoal. Nice and simple. Coconut core is inert and light as a feather. So much more suited to indoor plants than compost.

Even with the best, most free draining soil in the world, you'll find that eventually it becomes pretty compressed over time. Have a look at a plant you've had for a couple of years. Try and poke a stick in the soil. I bet it won't go in very easily. And don't worry, I'm not judging the fact that you haven't changed the soil in a while. We're all busy people. But this situation can spell trouble for your loved ones, though. But don't worry too much. There's a couple of things you can do. First, I like to periodically poke a stick in and give everything a jiggle. Loosens everything up nicely and averts any compaction disasters. And don't worry too much about breaking the roots. They can take a bit of damage here or there, and as long as you don't go mad, they'll regrow and survive. And second is the bottom water. I know it's not for everyone, but I swear by it. My theory is that because water isn't being poured over the top of the soil, it doesn't compact as much. And in any case, bottom watering is a nice even way to get moisture to all areas of the root ball. Moisture gets wicked up through the soil slowly and no parts of the soil get missed. And this is key. The next time you water a thirsty plant and you think you've given it enough, try pulling its trousers down to see if there are any dry patches. You might be surprised. And if you're worried about how much to give, then here's my rule of thumb. Add water about a third of the way up the pot and be on your merry way. If it drinks it up in 2 minutes, then you've got a very thirsty plant, so give it some more. If it doesn't drink it all straight away, then just check the following day and discard the excess. Your plant will be fine sat in a bit of excess water overnight. It's the prolonged pain of having wet feet that does the damage.

If you're really struggling with your soil and it seems like it's taken an eternity for it to dry out, then the best piece of advice I have for you is to either change your soil supplier or start using terra cotta pots. The porous nature of terra cotta means water wigs from all sides and dries everything out so much quicker. I don't do this, you see, because my soil is decent, doesn't hold on to too much water. Plus, I've had problems with plants not getting enough H2O because of how porous they are. But if you're in trouble, then it's worth a look. Terra cotta pots do always come with drainage holes, and they are a plant guy or gal's best friend. Stick a plant in a pot without holes, and you're condemning it to death. Not unless you're a watering pro. You need that water to flow out of the bottom so it doesn't linger in the soil for too long and cause all those root rot problems I've already mentioned. Check out my video where I water my plant every day for 30 days as proof. Things went much better than expected when I put it down to the drainage holes.

Another little pro tip is to use clear plastic pots. Makes it easier to see how dry or wet the soil is. A slightly more niche concern some folks have is knowing what time of day is best to water. After breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch in, afternoon tea, dinner, supper, middle of the night. If this fool has crossed your mind or you're getting up at 5:00 a.m. to do on them, then there's really no need. Anytime is fine. This probably comes from the gardening world where it's usually best practice to water in the morning. So, the plants are hydrated for the heat of the day and not get water sat on them overnight from evening watering. But that's not an issue for indoor plants. Water the soil and not the leaves and do it anytime and you're good to go.

You might also be concerned about watering in winter. I mean, surely they don't need as much water in the winter, right? Well, yeah, they're not growing as much in most cases and therefore won't be transpiring, etc. as much, but it's a moot point really. Again, check the soil and water when it's dry. This mantra applies just as much in winter as it does in summer. So, I find myself watering roughly once a week in high summer and maybe every 10 days in deep winter, but that might not be the same for you.

If you're not pruning your plants regularly, then they'll never really truly thrive. I always hated cutting my plants. You invest all that time and energy into getting them to grow, and then advice is to cut it all off. Sounds like madness, right? Well, plant care is all about the long game. short-term pain for long-term gain. A trimmed back plant today will look like a big beefy stallion months and years down the road.

So, how do we actually go about it without killing them and actually getting the best results? The first thing to understand is that plants expect to be pruned. Out in the wild, stems get chewed by animals and snapped by the wind, for example. That constant interruption is what makes them branch and put out strong, healthy new growth. Indoors, they never get that rough treatment. So, they just keep stretching and stretching until they look lanky and tired. When you prune, you're not harming the plant. You're giving it a reason to fight back. Every cut sends a signal for new shoots to form, and that is where the magic happens. Those new shoots are always stronger, fuller, and more vibrant than the tired old stem that you removed.

Let's use this fus as the perfect example of how and where to cut. As you can see, this chap is growing a single stem. Now, this is fine, but greater things are destined for him if we intervene. Now, a bushy specimen like this, in fact. Now, knowing where to cut on the stem will make all the difference. The important thing to look out for are the nodes. The nodes are the lines crossing the stem. This is where leaves emerge from the stem, but it's also where stem making magic happens, as well as root making magic, but more on that later. Now we need to cut in between two nodes. It's that simple. Don't go too low as this can start impacting the growing node below. Cut too high and you'll just end up with an untidy, uncut piece of stem. So make the cut there. No drama. They always grow back. I know making a decision to cut a large stem like this off your beloved plant can fill you with dread, but trust me, after a few weeks of pruning, you'll not think twice anymore. And in any case, the plant probably wants you to do it.

So, what's the plant going to do now? Well, before he was sending all his energy into growing that stem taller, but now that it's been cut off, he needs to redirect it into growing new stems. And in lots of case, that's multiple new stems. A lot of beginners struggle with knowing how much to take off. There are three main types of pruning to get to grips with. A light prune is just taking off the tips a couple of inches to encourage branching. I do this all the time on my colas, as you'll see in a sec. A shaping prune removes longer stems to create a fuller, more even outline. You might do this with a hanging plant like a paos or a truscantia. Then there's a hard prune where you take a plant right back down to a low point to reset it completely. It seems severe, but sometimes it's the best course of action. Maybe the plant is a crooked mess that you want to completely reset. Most house plants can comfortably handle 30% being removed in one go. As long as you leave some healthy leaves behind, the plant will recover beautifully.

Now, to prove that this isn't all just theory, here's one that I made earlier. And here and here. Fus plants really are dead easy to prune, but it's the same deal with anything with a stem. Paos, filidendrin, even monstera. The way you prune requires the same approach, finding the nodes and cutting above the lower one.

So, I've mentioned roots. Now, plants are survivalists, and anything we cut off has the potential to turn into a brand new plant, and it's dead simple to do. Just pop it into a glass of water, and roots will emerge on the stem in a few weeks. After that, pop it on into soil and let the growing magic happen. So, that's one type of plant that I've shown can be pruned successfully. What about others? Well, the plant world is your oyster. Basically, anything with a stem can be pruned and propagated in this way. My money tray is getting a bit too lanky for my liking. So, I'm going to do the chop to sort him out. Now, I have actually done this before here, as you can see. And I only got one replacement branch. I'm not sure if this was an anomaly or money trees don't tend to branch out, but we'll cut and see what happens. Again, I'm deciding roughly where I want to cut on the plant to create a nice compact shape and then finding two nodes and cutting just above the lower node. Nice and simple.

The kolas is another plant that just loves to be chopped. A plant like this would continue to grow a single stem until it became a lanky mess. So, I've been chopping this guy all summer and as you can see, there are stems all over the place. So much so that he's becoming a bit of a monster that needs taming back again. Now, the important thing to remember is that you really can't mess it up. You won't kill the plant by cutting a stem back. If you feel like you've cut in the wrong place or made a mess of it, then just cut again lower down. The plant always recovers.

The croton is another that responds well to pruning. I cut back this croton a few months ago. It looks like I've been blessed with three new stems. I successfully propagated the top beast, although it did take a very long time, and recently potted on that bad boy into his new home. So, not only do I have a better plant with lots more stems, but I've also got a brand new free one.

We all love a monstera, right? Well, they can be pruned just as easily, but the twist with these plants is that they won't branch. They'll only ever grow a single vine. I cut this monstera elbow a few months ago so that I could clone the plant. And as you can see, only a single vine has popped out. It's a bit of a mixed bag with which plants do or don't branch, but I always think it's worth experimenting to see what happens. If anything, you just have an extra plant.

J plants are another that are just ripe for pruning and propagating. And the interesting thing about these guys is that you can grow brand new plants from just the leaves. Simply lay a leaf onto some moist soil and wait for roots and then new stems to appear. It will take ages, but you really can grow a ton of jays from just a single stem you cut off. And propagating from leaves doesn't have to stop there. A recent experiment I did was to take a leaf on my Rex Beonia, make some cuts along the vein, and lie on some moist soil in a Tupperware box so that I could keep the humidity in. Well, this is the result a few weeks later. New plantlets are grown where I made the cuts. Those plantlets were then plucked out of the box, and this is how they're looking a few months later. Pretty neat, eh?

Now that you've seen how simple pruning actually is, let me give you a couple of quick things to keep in mind that'll help you avoid the rare situations where pruning isn't the best move. If a plant is severely dehydrated, leave him alone until he perks up. Pruning is just another stress that he doesn't really need. And if you got an active pest infestation, don't start chopping because it can spread the problem from one stem to another. It's always worth just having a peek first to see if anything like spidermitites are lingering around. And if you just repotted a plant and he's still sulking, then give them a few weeks before getting the scissors out. Apart from those situations though, you can prune pretty freely.

Now, obviously, not all plants grow stems. Calip, for example, grow leaves from bulbs in the soil. So, how do we get these to grow nice and bushy? Well, there isn't really a hack for this apart from giving them great indirect light so that they produce lots of leaves. The only real pruning we would do is to cut off damaged or diseased leaves or to thin them out if they've become a bit unruly. And if we want to propagate them, we simply divide them at the root ball and put them on individually to grow on in a nice bright spot. Beast liies and snake plants would fall into this category, too. If a snake plant has an ugly leaf or two, we should cut the entire leaf off just below the soil line and wait for new leaves to pop up.

Right, let's bust some plant pruning myths that folks tend to get stuck in their heads. The main one seems to be that you can only prune in spring and summer. And this is because indoor plants apparently go dormant in winter, stop growing, and won't be able to replace what we cut off. But the truth is, I prune any time of year. Even in the deepest, snowiest depths of winter, I prune my little guys. This is mainly because our plants don't really stop growing at all in winter. As long as the light is decent and you're not living in an igloo, they'll happily continue. But there is an exception to every rule, and in this case, it's the rubber plant. I generally avoid pruning this guy in winter because he's one of the very few plants that does actually stop growing. You won't see him send out the tiniest hint of a new leaf until the death showed themselves in the garden. Unless you got a decent grow light shining over his head. Don't get me wrong, pruning won't kill him. just look a bit awkward with no limbs for months and I want to be able to show them off for Christmas is all. So basically, if you see new leaves popping out all year, then have no fear about getting the pruners out.

Now, I guess your number one fear about all of this is cutting too much and accidentally killing your dear darling. And I completely get it. I mean, nearly cutting the whole thing down like this, leaving him with nothing in the process will send him to heaven, right? Well, plants are surprisingly resilient. And as long as they can continue to photosynthesize, they'll grow back. They always grow back. Here's a little nugget that only dawned on me until fairly recently. Plants don't only photosynthesize through their leaves. Their stems also do a job for them. So, you can cut a plant down to his bare bum, and he'll cope with it surprisingly well. This is called hard pruning. And I normally do this when I'm absolutely tired of a little guy's behavior and want to cut him down to show him who's boss and to start him up again. It normally works out pretty