How to Prune a Protea Plant
The Protea Plant is a genus of plant from the Proteaceae family, the name Protea comes from the greek god proteus and all the forms he could become.
There are over 60 species of Protea Plants and many hybrids.
We often get asked when to prune Protea Plants, as the different varieties of Protea flower at different times this often varies.
We recommend pruning Protea plants a the end of their flowering period.
When growing Proteas for Flowers, there is very little pruning required as most of the flowers are removed during the harvesting period.
Here's our list of things to remember when pruning Protea Plants:
- Always use clean tools when harvesting or pruning to prevent spread of diseases
- New growth often appears around the flower of a Protea especially varieties such a 'Pink Ice' and 'Lancelot', these shoots are commonly referred to as bypasses (scroll to bottom of page for picture) and can be left on until the flower is ready to harvest or can be removed while the bud is small.
- When removing the flowers, leave around 10cm of healthy stem behind.
- Remove and unsightly & bent stems also
- Do not remove stems that are not yet flowering as these will be next years flowers(Proteas usually flower on second year growth)
