Prune Incense: [Importance, Season, Tools, Considerations and Steps]

The idea of ​​pruning frankincense is mainly aimed at controlling the growth of its branches after an annual cycle.

This beautiful plant is often used indoors, although it can also be placed in pots on terraces or balconies protected from sunlight.

Due to the characteristics of its leaves it is usually very striking and when well cared for it represents a true ornamental gift. Pruning is one of its elementary care and here we will tell you in detail how to carry out this process.

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Why prune the frankincense plant?

The primary goal when pruning frankincense is to reduce the length of branches that have grown throughout the season.Although it may not seem like it at first glance, the incense plant can reach up to 2 meters in height if you do not pay attention to its care.

In addition, this action encourages the pruned branches to sprout more strongly, which promotes the plant to look much more beautiful and healthy. If it is dry or with damaged parts, pruning will make it easier to get rid of those areas that make it ugly and that can be a gateway for diseases.

When is it best to carry out incense pruning?

In order for you to prune your frankincense plant you will have to wait until the winter is over and the chances of a late frost are non-existent.

Coming out of vegetative rest, the incense plant will be very capable of quickly recovering from its wounds and sprouting again to continue decorating the space where you have it.

If you live in an area with a constant warm climate throughout the year, pruning will be possible at any time. Preferably in the fall.

What tools should we use when pruning incense?

Frankincense can be pruned with the help of simple garden shears because cutting application is usually very easy due to its thin branches. Of course, it is essential that the edge is adequate and that you carry out a disinfection process before any cut. Pharmacy alcohol is more than enough.

If you want to protect your hands, it is a good plan to use gardening gloves and even goggles to prevent accidents with particles.

What considerations should we take into account when pruning incense?

Pruning an incense is a very simple task if you know how to take advantage of the information that we leave you in this post. In general, it is a plant of a structure that is easy to handle, so you will be able to observe it in its entirety before proceeding.

In any pruning work it is essential that you first evaluate the state of the pruning to define which route to follow. In this way, you will not be executing cuts according to what you think at a certain moment, but you will make them fulfilling an objective.

This will make your task easier and will prevent the specimen from suffering excessive damage. Here take into account if there are parts in poor condition, the branches that are longer and the final shape you want to achieve.

How to prune incense without damaging the plant?

Pruning can be implemented with the following series of steps:

1. Start by removing all those parts that you already saw that were in poor condition. This corresponds to a maintenance pruning and you often have to do it several times a year. The idea is that your incense plant looks immaculate, without leaves or wilted branches that make the rest of the structure look ugly.
2. Locate the longest branches and decide how long you consider appropriate for them to remain. Ideally, all of them should be trimmed roughly the same amount so that the plant looks balanced.

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3. Reduce the branches that are located on the sides to improve the structure of the plant. These tend to be the first to look messy when pruning is not done on time.
4. Lighten the center a bit if the leaves don’t let the light through. Remember that the correct flow of light and ventilation is very important to promote good growth and prevent it from becoming an ideal space for the settlement of fungi or diseases.

It is necessary that you identify the shoots that are just born from the center of the plant so that you do not touch them with the pruning. From them is that you will achieve a better structure as they grow.

Sometimes pruning is the ideal time to transplant incense when its roots are too big. As a last recommendation is that you take advantage of the following days to apply a fertilization since this way you will nourish it and it will be able to recover with more energy from the wounds.