Abutilon pictum ‘Gold Dust’
Feeding follows exactly the same pattern. A plant needs feeding most when it is growing most and this period is probably in late spring or early summer. During the winter rest period no food at all should be given to house-plants.
Just as it is a good rule to give too little rather than too much water, so it is wise to give too little rather than too much food. This is for two reasons. In the first place over-feeding a plant is just as unwise as over-feeding a human. It leads to digestive troubles. But where a human can protest or can leave a part of the food set before him, a plant cannot. Secondly, over-feeding leads to over-growth and this is a strain on the plant and a nuisance to the indoor gardener, who finds suddenly that a certain plant has outgrown its situation and is an embarrassment rather than a pleasure. Success with house-plants does not mean growing them to huge size but keeping them small and slow-growing while they retain their looks and their health.
A number of house-plants, particularly the climbers and trailers, frequently benefit from a certain amount of pruning and training. This keeps them under control and suitable for their surroundings. Tradescantias, for example, become brown and straggly if their trails are allowed to grow too long. They should be nipped off while still at their best; the excess portion can always be rooted again, in the same pot if necessary. Ivies, cissus and rhoicissus, and some of the philodendrons will all react well to a certain degree of pruning.
