Yes, pruning is a good idea for these sizable plants. Pruning allows you to refresh the plant and encourage compact, branching growth. Use a sharp, sterile cutting tool to minimize damage to the plant and avoid disease. Prune once the plant is two years old, just as the plant begins to exhibit growth in early spring and before flowers begin to form. Remove some older, woody stems (2 to 3 years old) to four or five nodes, just above an outward-facing bud. New, emerging stems do not need pruning. You can use some of the pruned tip cuttings to propagate new plants!

Pinching back, the removal of just the growing tip, may be enough on smaller plants, particularly if practiced regularly from the time the plant is young. Pinch above a leaf node to promote bushier growth, to encourage additional stems from the roots, and to keep these fast-growing plants in check.

Sometimes it is necessary to reduce the size of a plant in fall when you bring it in from a summer spent outdoors. Avoid this timing if possible as recovering from pruning stress as it enters a period of slowed growth can weaken the plant.

Read more about the care of cane begonias, including angel wing begonias, in NYBG's Guide to Cane-type Begonias.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service