Princes flower (Tibouchina?) gone wild- best way to handle?
#1
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Princes flower (Tibouchina?) gone wild- best way to handle?
We have a princess flower plant (Tibouchina?) that thrived for around 15 years with regular pruning. Then for another 10 years it was completely ignored- it ended up growing out into two very long spindly trunks with the majority of the foliage way out at the ends (see pics). I would love to wrangle it back down to the small plant/tree that it used to be (contained to it's spot and not growing out over the patio). There is currently a very healthy growth coming off one of the two main trunks pretty close to the base (see close up picture). It is coming off the 'unhealthier' looking trunk branch. Can I simply cut that trunk away just above where that growth is happening, and completely cut off the other trunk and then continually maintain it's growth from there? Or would that be too traumatic to the whole thing?
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If it were me, I'd cut it and see what happens because the alternative looks much worse. You can certainly cut off the bare portion above the growth. You can also cut off one of the trunks. Cut above the nodes where the growth is coming out. Cut it with a CLEAN sharp pruning saw. Clean your cutting tools with lysol of bleach so you dont spread any pathogens. Tibochina must be pruned regularly or gets that spindly look.