On 8/17/2008 5:26 PM, jimba1 wrote:
Hi there,

I have an asparagus fern - house plant. I know it's not really a fern
but it's the best way to describe it.
It's grown a lot over the last year and taking up a lot of space. I was
thinking of cutting it back but don't want to kill it.
Can you just prune these plants or is best not to do anything with it.
Thanks


Water it thoroughly. Then take it out of the pot. With a pruning saw
or sharp knife, cut the root ball in half. Discard half. On the other
half, trim about an inch from the ends of the cut and from the bottom.
Repot, adding some fresh potting mix. Cut the top back. Within a month
or so, it will recover and look great.


I did this several times. But the plant kept shedding and making a
mess. Also, it was interfering with the other potted plants in my
greenhouse window. About two months ago, I trashed the whole thing
(keeping the pot, of course).
--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/