To cut or not to cut, this question arises with many plants - including the one-leaf plant. In principle, it does not harm the plant if you use scissors. However, a pruning is not absolutely necessary and is only for optical reasons.
Large single sheets can be shared
Cut out faded and dried out
Sometimes the leaves and the flower shoots dry up - after all, everything only has a certain lifespan and so at some point every beautiful flower and every leaf, no matter how green, is ugly brown and dried up. You can cut off these stems with sharp scissors just above the ground and make your single leaf look fresh again. However, the cut is not necessary. Alternatively, you can simply wait until the plant has pulled all the residual nutrients out of the dead shoot - then it can simply be pulled out.
Be careful when cutting: One leaf is poisonous
However, be careful when cutting around the leaflet. Like all arum plants, the one-leaf (botanically correct Spathiphyllum) is poisonous. Contact with the sap can cause redness, swelling and a burning sensation. Therefore, wear gloves when cutting and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Be careful not to get any sap in your eyes!
Instead of cutting: Simply divide large plants
Depending on the type and variety, single leaves can be quite high and extensive. So that the plant does not exhaust your living space, you should divide it into several individual plants from time to time when repotting. This can be done without any problems and is a much more elegant solution than a simple pruning, which also always leaves unsightly cut scars. When sharing, do the following:
- Pot out the single leaf.
- Remove the excess soil and use your fingers to loosen the root ball.
- Check where the bale separates.
- Each root part should have at least one strong shoot.
- Preferably separate offshoots.
- Separate the individual shoots along with their roots.
- If necessary, use a sharp knife.
- Check the roots for any damage.
- Plant the newly gained seedlings in individual pots.
tips
In contrast to many other plants, propagation from cuttings is usually not successful or is extremely difficult.