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Pinch young stems for size and prune larger ones for shape

Plant size is one of the most important considerations in indoor plants and indoor trees, especially bonsai trees.

Limitations from table tops, ceilings and room sizes indicate the size your house plants should maintain. The solution to the problem of keeping plants to scale is careful pinching and pruning. Pinching encourages bushy growth, whereas pruning reshapes an overgrown plant.

Root pruning, though somewhat more drastic, can increase the indoor life of a favorite plant. One rule to remember: throw out or replace ugly plants. A house plant that has grown too leggy, unwieldy, or misshapen for restorative pruning no longer serves your purpose.

Though the average gardener requires a wide variety of pruning tools in all shapes and sizes, the indoor gardener needs only a few. The two most generally useful pruning tools are your thumb and forefinger and these tools you'll never lose (unless your not very handy with scissors. They can handle most pruning on soft-stemmed plants. Have a sharp knife, scissors, or hand pruners for tougher jobs.

• bonsai tools for pruning

Pinching - Like preventive medicine, proper use of the pinching technique avoids more drastic pruning measures. Pinching out the growing tip of a stem promotes side branching that creates thick, bushy plants; pinching stops growth in one direction and redirects it.

Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch out the top growth of a stem or branch. This forces side buds lower on the stem to form new branches. The resulting growth helps create a full, well-shaped plant and keeps it from becoming leggy.

Pinching should be used on fast-growing, branching plants like ivy, wandering Jew, or that contain at least three or four sets of leaves, these are established and can support new growth.

Tops - Like pinching, top pruning restores the plant's desired shape. Removing leggy growth or branches grown awry improves the plant's appearance and, as with pinching, may encourage new growth.

Cut stems or branches back to where you want them. Use scissors or pruning shears if the stem is too stiff to be pinched off with thumb and forefinger. Always cut just above a leaf node or bud. Be sure to remove as much of the stem above the node as possible. The node or bud becomes the terminal growing point on the stem, and water and nutrients will travel no farther. The dead or dying stem is useless and could become diseased, endangering your plant.

Roots- If a plant has reached the maximum size your house can accommodate, consider root pruning. This process takes courage but, if successful, permits your plant to remain in its present container.

It's best to root prune a house plant during a time of active growth, usually in the spring. Have all materials ready so the procedure can be accomplished as quickly as possible. Remove the plant from its pot (see page 20 for instructions). With a sharp knife, trim off portions of the root ball on all sides. Cut quickly; do not saw or hack at roots.

Try washing all the old soil off the roots first. When the root-pruned plant is replaced in its container, there should be about a 1-inch clearance on all sides. Fill in the sides with new potting mix and tamp it in. Water the plant and return it to its place.