- Prune before overwintering
- Prune vigorously in spring
- Gaining cuttings - another reason for cutting
- Thin out in summer if necessary
Due to its strong and fast growth, the leadwort quickly turns into a bush that is bursting with vitality. But it soon gets out of shape, blooms only sparsely and bare - at least if it hasn't been pruned regularly.
A pruning of withered flowers encourages the leadwort to flower a second time
Prune before overwintering
Before you house your leadwort, which is considered poisonous, for the winter, you should cut it back. That is the case in autumn. Take a pair of sharp pruning shears and cut back the shoots by half.
Thanks to this cut, wintering works better afterwards:
- Growth is prevented
- less space in the winter quarters is required
- better overview of possible pest infestation
- less watering necessary
- less falling leaves (when wintering in the dark)
Prune vigorously in spring
In addition to or as an alternative to the autumn cut, a cut should be made in the spring. This is recommended, as leadwort only blooms on its new shoots. The shoots are shortened between February and March. Weak, old and diseased shoots are rigorously removed. About 1 month later, the new shoots should be pruned to promote branching and thus the number of flowers.
Gaining cuttings - another reason for cutting
In addition, a cut can be useful to gain cuttings from lead root for propagation. Such a pruning should be done in May or June. The cuttings should be 10 to 15 cm long. The flowers and the lower leaves are removed and the shoot is placed in potting soil for rooting.
Thin out in summer if necessary
A cut is not only appropriate before and after the winter. Finally, a cut can be made in summer to shape the leadwort. Overall, this plant tolerates pruning without any problems and will happily sprout again. In the summer it is thinned out. As a result, it grows more compact and becomes less loose in growth.
tips
If you want to stimulate a second flowering, you should quickly cut away the old inflorescences or seed heads and also withered leaves. This pruning encourages the plant to produce new flowers.