How to prune Gloxinia

Prune before flowering

Generally, before Gloxinia blooms, the branches and buds are pruned by pinching the tips.

Pinching means removing the topmost flower branch to promote the growth of more side branches, so that more flowers can bloom.

Pinching should be done early rather than late. Early pinching is beneficial for early formation and flowering. After pinching, select 2-3 new buds of similar height and suitable position to ensure the smooth opening of the flowers.

Prune during flowering

After Gloxinia blooms, if the leaves around the flowers hinder the normal growth of the flowers, you can cut off some of the leaves or half of the leaves according to the actual situation and needs.

Trimming the leaves in this way can make all the flowers bloom at the top of the plant, forming a bouquet, which will have a better viewing effect.

After pruning, Gloxinia can produce up to 18 flowers at a time. Among them, a plant of African violet grown in a 12-cm-diameter flowerpot was no more than 15 cm tall and had only two branches, but it had 16 flowers blooming at the same time, which was very beautiful.

Pruning after flowering

After flowering, if the culture soil is fertile and managed properly, it will produce a second batch of buds.

After Gloxinia blooms, if you do not need to keep seeds, it is best to cut off the flower stems to control the loss of nutrients, which is conducive to continued flowering and the growth and development of tubers.

After flowering, in winter, the tubers of Gloxinia should be preserved. Select a leafless stem, about 3-4 cm in length, and store it in sand in time, keeping the temperature not lower than 5℃.

During the winter, the sandy soil should not be too wet, otherwise the bulbs will rot. If the sandy soil is too dry, spray clean water in an appropriate amount to prevent the tubers from drying up. When spring comes and flowers bloom, the tubers of Gloxinia will sprout. Select new shoots as needed and enter a new round of maintenance and pruning.