Heliconia are showy tropical plants with bright, beautiful
flowering bracts. They are said to resemble banana
or bird
of paradise plants, but the blossoms are very different. One type of
Heliconia is given the common name lobster
claw. It requires little pruning. Read on for information about Heliconia
pruning including tips on how to prune lobster claw should this be a concern
for you.
About Heliconia Pruning
In order to understand how to prune lobster claw, you need
to get an overview of the plant structure. The plant leaves look like banana
leaves, and the stems are formed by a series of leaf bases.
Heliconia blossoms form at the terminal end of each plant
stem. Lobster claw Heliconia flowers stand upright and are extremely decorative
and flashy. Pruning a Heliconia plant should be kept to a minimum because of
its unique growth pattern.
How to Prune Lobster Claw
In general, cutting back Heliconia should only be done when
absolutely necessary. Gardeners need to remove dead, diseased, or damaged parts
of plants. Cutting back Heliconia in this way is important. Trim lobster claw
Heliconia by snipping off any dead or damaged stems or leaves. If you find that
more than a couple leaves are damaged on one stem, cut off the entire stem.
Once you have finished cutting back any foliage that is
damaged, turn to the stalks that have already flowered. These will not blossom
again and should be removed. If you are wondering how to trim lobster claw
Heliconia stems, just snip them off at ground level. After a few days, the
“stump” should be dry. You can remove it from the soil and throw it away.
How about pruning a Heliconia plant for artistic reasons?
The plants have beautiful, balanced shapes naturally so very little pruning
should be required. However, you may want to trim lobster claw leaves that are
obstructing the view of the plant’s flowers. While this can be done, it may
have negative consequences.
The stems of the lobster claw are weakened when you remove
leaves. That means that removing too many leaves could mean fewer flowers in
the future. For this reason, limit any aesthetic pruning to one leaf per stem.
Heliconia are showy tropical plants with bright, beautiful
flowering bracts. They are said to resemble banana
or bird
of paradise plants, but the blossoms are very different. One type of
Heliconia is given the common name lobster
claw. It requires little pruning. Read on for information about Heliconia
pruning including tips on how to prune lobster claw should this be a concern
for you.
About Heliconia Pruning
In order to understand how to prune lobster claw, you need
to get an overview of the plant structure. The plant leaves look like banana
leaves, and the stems are formed by a series of leaf bases.
Heliconia blossoms form at the terminal end of each plant
stem. Lobster claw Heliconia flowers stand upright and are extremely decorative
and flashy. Pruning a Heliconia plant should be kept to a minimum because of
its unique growth pattern.
How to Prune Lobster Claw
In general, cutting back Heliconia should only be done when
absolutely necessary. Gardeners need to remove dead, diseased, or damaged parts
of plants. Cutting back Heliconia in this way is important. Trim lobster claw
Heliconia by snipping off any dead or damaged stems or leaves. If you find that
more than a couple leaves are damaged on one stem, cut off the entire stem.
Once you have finished cutting back any foliage that is
damaged, turn to the stalks that have already flowered. These will not blossom
again and should be removed. If you are wondering how to trim lobster claw
Heliconia stems, just snip them off at ground level. After a few days, the
“stump” should be dry. You can remove it from the soil and throw it away.
How about pruning a Heliconia plant for artistic reasons?
The plants have beautiful, balanced shapes naturally so very little pruning
should be required. However, you may want to trim lobster claw leaves that are
obstructing the view of the plant’s flowers. While this can be done, it may
have negative consequences.
The stems of the lobster claw are weakened when you remove
leaves. That means that removing too many leaves could mean fewer flowers in
the future. For this reason, limit any aesthetic pruning to one leaf per stem.