I’m not a plant person but this guy has grown on me. I’ve transferred him to larger pots twice now and he’s pretty tall. I read that I should’ve snipped the main stem to keep a plant short. He’s about 2 ft tall now and I was wondering if I snipped the top part off at the main stem if that would do harm.
by knarfn
4 Comments
This is a deffienbachia (or is it deiffenbachia lol) and It’s normal for these to grow upright like this. In the wild they can get somewhat tall and top-heavy, the weight can cause them to flop over and either snap off and reroot to create a new plant, or they can simply sprawl on the ground to find an adequate space and send up new shoots wherever there is good lighting for it. They’re very interesting that way, self-propagating and light-seeking.
Anyway, You can cut it if you like, and you can propagate a new plant from the cutting. It’s not necessary to cut it though, it appears to be a lovely and healthy specimen as is. It will not harm the plant if you do cut it. However, if you choose to do so you should wear protective gloves and be mindful not to get the sap on your skin.
[see a tall one here](https://www.reddit.com/r/matureplants/s/AbEgWy29ME)
[and another beautiful tall one](https://www.reddit.com/r/houseplants/s/AzNK37Dc5D)
No
Many plants don’t stay small. That’s just the way it grows. Why cut it?
Let it go. I would put a support stick in the middle of the the pot, and tie the plant to the support. The stems of these don’t grow hard/bark, so they can/will flop over. They are beautiful plants, and very cool when they get bigger