Hi! I have a question regarding the trimming of damaged leaves on broad-leaf tropical plants. For my giant spath, when the leaves become damaged on the tips I will usually just trim off the damaged parts while trying to keep the shape uniform. Recently, I've tried to trim damaged leaves on other plants, such as my red emerald and arrowhead philodendrons. Can anyone tell me if this is a good idea, or should I just chop the damaged leaves off completely? The reason I ask is that some of my recent plant acquisitions have been from the local big-box home improvement store. Though the plants look great and are quite healthy, a few of the leaves are broken or torn. Rather than remove those leaves entirely, I've decided to simply remove the damaged portions (with sterile scissors). Advice would be appreciated! Thanks
Trimming brown leaf is a quick fix for unsightly looking leaves, although some plants will just brown again where it was cut. You can try for less brown tips by using rain, or bottled water, or water that's allowed to sit out overnight evaporating the Chlorine, (can cause brown tips) unfortunately, Fluoride does not evaporate which can cause cause brown tips as well to plants that are susceptible to hard water. Raising the humidity might also help. I guess it's up to the person, but I like to remove any damaged leaves that are torn, or broken, that's the very first thing I do with any new plant, letting new growth fill in those area's.
