How to prune potted asparagus fern? A detailed guide to the latest methods
The asparagus fern is verdant all over; its stems and branches, though slender, stand upright, and its cladodes spread horizontally in a shape close to a triangle. Its leaves have degenerated into membranous scales that cling to the branches like down feathers. Because its stems grow in clusters from the base, with varying heights, those cloud-like layers of branches and leaves overlap one upon another, which is why it is also called cloud bamboo. Potted asparagus fern is deeply favored by the general public for being easy to grow, beautiful and elegant, and able to absorb toxic gases.
If you want the asparagus fern to stay verdant and delicate, with its elegant, graceful appearance lasting, you must prune it at the right time (spring or autumn).
There are two ways to propagate asparagus fern: sowing and division. For plants grown from seed and cultivated for about a year, during the growing period you should mainly strengthen management of their natural growth. When you see a new stem emerge and reach a certain height, that is, when the entire leaf base appears, especially when the branch tips at the upper end of the stem have all grown out, you should then fix the position of the pot according to your own requirements, and the new branches will spread horizontally toward the sunny side. Asparagus fern at this stage generally will not produce new stems with climbing ability, so the plant shape generally does not need pruning; proper tying is enough.
After about two years of cultivation, the asparagus fern begins to grow new stems with climbing ability. At this point, you can handle it in different ways according to your own conditions and preferences. You can let it climb naturally along a string, or attach it to a flower stand or to the old stems and old branches of the asparagus fern, or simply cut some off at will. However, the latter two approaches not only affect the growth of the asparagus fern but also harm the beauty of the whole plant, so it is best to carry out proper pruning.
The method is to prune the longer climbing old stems several times in succession according to the shape of the whole plant and your own requirements, cutting off all or part of the upper portion of the old stems that bears branches and leaves. To give the new branches growing from the leaf bases of the pruned old stems a certain layered arrangement, when pruning you should create a height difference between adjacent old stems. About 20 days after pruning, the old stems will sprout new branches and leaves from the uppermost leaf base. As for how to determine the direction in which the newly grown branches and leaves spread, it is the same as described above.
During growth, the newly grown branches and leaves must not touch other branches, leaves or objects, otherwise it will affect the normal growth of the new branches and leaves and the beauty of the plant shape. To keep the whole asparagus fern growing well and looking beautiful, you also need to cut off overly dense, withered and yellow branches and leaves, and weak stems, so as to improve ventilation and light penetration, promote growth and make it better for viewing.
Because the branches and leaves of the asparagus fern spread horizontally, they easily collect dust, which is also bad for its growth and appearance, so it needs to be sprayed with water to remove the dust. Before spraying, it is best to gently shake the stems and leaves by hand, or blow on them with an air pump, to first remove some of the floating dust, and then slowly spray and wash them with a fine-nozzle spray bottle; this gives a better effect. After spraying, gently shake off the water droplets left on them. Some people cover the asparagus fern with a transparent plastic bag to temporarily keep off dust; although this works, it affects ventilation and light, and is not good for viewing either.
When tying the asparagus fern, it is not advisable to insert thick bamboo or wooden sticks into the pot or use too thick a string, as these do not match the slender stems and branches of the asparagus fern. You should use thin string close in color to the asparagus fern to tie the stems and branches and adjust the plant shape; this will not affect its verdant elegance. With reasonable care, a potted asparagus fern will surely give your room a fresh new look.