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Notebook · Guide 1 October 2026 · houseplants

Leggy houseplants: fix the light, then prune (and get free plants)

Long, bare, stretching stems usually mean too little light. Fix that first, then cut back in spring above a leaf joint — and root the cuttings. Which plants not to cut.

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A leggy pothos houseplant on a dim shelf: long bare trailing stems with leaves spaced far apart, all stretching toward a distant window.
1Leggy: long bare stems stretching towards the light.

A leggy houseplant — long bare stems, leaves spaced far apart, everything leaning one way — is telling you something before it's asking for a prune. Cut it back without changing anything and it'll grow back exactly as leggy. So the order matters: light first, secateurs second.

In pictures

  1. Close-up of a pothos stem with a leaf node (small brown aerial root bump at the leaf joint) and a honey dashed cut line just above the node.
    2Cut just above a leaf joint (node), where new shoots will grow.
  2. A glass of water on a bright windowsill holding three pothos cuttings with fresh white roots growing from the nodes.
    3Pothos cuttings root from the nodes in a glass of water.
  3. A gloved hand pruning a rubber plant (Ficus elastica) stem just above a leaf, with a small drop of milky white sap at the cut.
    4Wear gloves: rubber plants bleed a milky sap.

01Step 1: fix the light

Weak, spindly growth and pale leaves mean the plant isn't getting enough light. In winter especially, move plants closer to a south- or west-facing window, and dust the leaves so they can use the light they get. Not sure what your window offers? See what "bright indirect light" actually means.

02Step 2: prune at the right time

  • When: late winter or spring, as the plant comes into active growth.
  • Tools: clean, sharp scissors or secateurs; gloves for plants with irritant sap (see below).

03Step 3: cut above a leaf joint

  1. Decide on the shape. Which stems are too long or bare?
  2. Cut each one just above a leaf or leaf joint (node). New shoots grow from the joints — cut halfway between two and you leave a dead stub.
  3. Pinch out shoot tips on trailing and bushy plants such as tradescantia to make them branch.
  4. Don't strip off leaves that are still mostly green — the RHS says it slows recovery.

04Step 4: root the cuttings

Most trailing plants root easily. Pothos cuttings root in a glass of water in bright light, or you can pin a stem down into a pot of compost until it roots (layering). Pot them back into the parent to make it fuller, or give them away.

05Don't prune these

  • Palms (kentia, parlour palm): the RHS says no special pruning is needed. Remove old, dead leaves by cutting, not pulling. Don't cut the top off a palm.

06Sap: wear gloves

  • Figs (rubber plant, weeping fig, fiddle-leaf fig): the RHS advises gloves when pruning — the sticky white sap may irritate skin.
  • Euphorbias such as the pencil cactus: the sap can irritate eyes and skin. Wear gloves, long sleeves and eye protection.
  • Pothos: wear gloves when taking cuttings.

Check each plant's profile for its full safety flags before pruning where children or pets can reach the trimmings.

07Mistakes to avoid

  • Pruning without moving the plant. It'll just stretch again.
  • Cutting between nodes.
  • Pulling off palm fronds.
Save your money
Your trimmings are free plants. A glass of water is all the propagation kit you need.
Don't buy a grow light first. Try a brighter windowsill — and clean leaves — before spending money.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — How to help a poorly houseplant · RHS — How to grow epipremnum · RHS — How to grow ornamental figs · RHS — Indoor palms · RHS — Sun-loving euphorbias

Checked 1 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.