Pruning For Maximum Leaf Production

[Paradoxic]

Now most people who grow Salvia divinorum want the most foliage they can get. Without any pruning the average plant will not produce all that many leaves. Generally, Salvia likes to stretch and the leaves are spaced out so plants are not usually very bushy.

Fortunately there is an easy way to make your plant bushy and product much more foliage. This technique is sometimes called the FIM technique.

Ok, use a sharp, clean blade to cut a main stem right above a node, which is place where 2 or more leaves grow out from a stem. Its usually smart to cut where you will be left with a good size cutting which you can go ahead and root to make another plant (Rooting a Cutting in Water) Since Salvia tends to grow fastest in the Spring and Summer these are ideal times for pruning.

Here is an image to help you out:

[Cakes]

Is there any info I should know when pruning to make a mother plant?

[Paradoxic]

Is there any info I should know when pruning to make a mother plant?

You should approach that just as you would for a non-mother plant as far as I know, anything that gets her to branch out. I'm trying to get that pinching guide up, that would also be really useful to create a mother plant.

And yeah pruning is basically what you should do anytime you take cuttings from your mother plant to root into new plants.

[MstryShovel]

I just wanted to add the information about, Pinching I forget who posted originaly, and please edit if I get anything wrong.

Pinching


a plant can be forced to grow lateraly (out of the sides. also see Pic (3) ) by pinching the very top set of small leaves (1)(the baby leaves) doing this releases a hormone, that is responcible for the growth of the baby leaves, and continues in the direction it is in untill redirected. Once you pinch off the top leaves the hormone ceases to focus around that top, and seeks out baby leaves to start a new branch. once the hormone is released from the former new growth, it then will pool around each node, beginging to give her branches simmilar to pic(3). you can further promote the growth in specified places by pruning the leaves colored yellow in the above picure. This, I imagine further tells the plant "oh no, I lost somehting! lets replace it!"



happy growing!

[Paradoxic]

Yeah I really want to get a guide up in the cultivation section for this. It would also be nice to have a picture of the part that you pinch and a little diagram for instruction, just like you made for this guide.

[MstryShovel]

Yeah I really want to get a guide up in the cultivation section for this. It would also be nice to have a picture of the part that you pinch and a little diagram for instruction, just like you made for this guide.

im on it

[bifster]

Alright so I have a question.  When making a cutting and trying to make it root, does it have to have at least 2 nodes, or will it do alright only having one node like in the diagram?

[Bayrat]

I have done many 1 node with no problems.

[ilovesally]

Do you have to pinch off the top in order to benefit from pinching?  I am somewhat skeptical about cutting the top of my plant off.

[JustAnotherRegularGuy]

Without cutting the top, if you cut off a leaf off anywhere on the plant, usually two will grow back in it's place. Cutting the top will create more branches at the top. So you don't have to cut your top to get more foliage.

JARG