Often we buy plants that we thought would not grow too much, but that over time we have realized that we were wrong. The most typical case is to cultivate, for example, a water stick so well that there comes a time when its leaves touch the ceiling. What to do?
Well, it is best to try to slow down your growth as much as possible. For that, we are going to explain how to make a plant not grow .
Tips to prevent a plant from overgrowing
If you have some plants at home or in the yard that are growing much more than you had planned, it is necessary that you take some measures in order to continue enjoying them as before.
Put it in the right place
Has it ever happened to you that you have had a plant that has started to grow a lot, for example towards the window? This is something that happens when you have an area where there is not enough light for it, or when there is a more powerful light source than you normally have. That is why it is very necessary to put it in the right place, with the appropriate light, and if you have it near a window, the pot must be rotated 180º daily so that all parts of the plant receive the same amount of light . In this way, you will ensure that it grows well, without etiolation, that is, without its stems growing lengthening and weakening.
Don’t subscribe
A plant needs water and food (fertilizer) in order to grow and develop well. But when we have one that has grown too much or is going to, it will be best not to pay it, or not give it food as often . So, if we used to supply fertilizer every 15 days from spring to late summer, what we will do is decrease the frequency and start feeding it once every 2-3 months. Likewise, for our purpose, the ideal is to use slow-release fertilizers, since if chemical or highly concentrated fertilizers are used, the plant will grow faster.
Transplant only when urgent
You can not have a plant in the same pot for its entire life, and less if it is not fertilized. There is no way to stop its growth and keep it alive at the same time. Therefore, transplanting remains a task that we must carry out, but we will only do it when we see roots come out of the drainage holes, or when it has been in the same container for several years . This pot should be a few centimeters wider and deeper than the previous one, and it is also important that it has holes in its base.
Pruning
Pruning is a very important job to control the growth of a plant. Except for palm trees, which cannot be pruned (just remove dry, diseased or weak leaves), the rest must have a hairdressing session from time to time. Thus, to lower the height, what we must do is trim the main branch . Thus, during that year it will remove lower branches, and from the next we will only have to cut them. Now, to do it well, you must take into account the characteristics of each specific plant, as well as its needs.
How to stop a palm tree from growing?
Image – Wikimedia / Pluume321
Palms are herbaceous plants (megaforbias) that grow for decades from a single growth guide (the center of the crown of leaves). For this reason they cannot be pruned like trees, since once that guide is removed or damaged, the plant dies.
Another problem arises when they are kept in the same pot for years and years. The roots eventually run out of space, but also without nutrients, with which the palm weakens and finally, also, dies.
Therefore, if you want it to stop growing and stay healthy, it is best to look for small palm species from the beginning . I am sorry to be so blunt, but unfortunately it is impossible to have, for example, a feathery coconut in a pot for years and to ensure that it is always healthy; or having a Canarian palm in the garden but with the roots pruned.
Be careful, you can do things to slow down its growth: things like watering and / or fertilizing only when strictly necessary, and avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers are very useful measures to make a palm grow more slowly.
How to make a tree not grow anymore?
Trees tend to grow several meters tall. It is in their nature. But fortunately, there are things that can be done to keep them from growing too large. For example, the most important task to be carried out is pruning. At the end of winter you have to cut off the branches that are bad , that is, those that are broken, those that have dried, and / or those that are very sick.
But throughout the year it is also interesting to do a maintenance pruning , especially if they are grown in pots. This pruning consists of gradually reducing the length of its green branches if you see that they are lengthening too long.
In addition, it is also necessary to avoid fertilizing them with fertilizers rich in nitrogen , since otherwise the opposite effect will be achieved; that is, they will grow faster and more vigorously.
How to choose plants to avoid space problems?
Although measures can be taken to control the growth of the plants, the most advisable thing will always be to choose those that do not grow much, since this way you will avoid many headaches . Therefore, if the place where you are going to have it is small, look for species that grow little, like any aromatic (lavender, rosemary, thyme), bulbous (tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, etc.), or even small succulents (Lithops, Rebutia , Argyroderma, among others).
For indoors, you should look at those that are herbaceous especially . For example, the calatea or the elephant’s ear are plants that, although they can reach a meter or so, being great in large rooms such as the living room, really do not require much space to develop well. On the other hand, a dracena or a yucca are shrubs that can easily exceed 3 meters, and palm trees are not very appropriate for the same reason, except for most of the Chamaedorea .
We hope you found it useful 🙂.
