Fatsia japonica

james-HYumfQs · 15 February

Morning everyone,

With these fatsias, when is best to cut the flowering stems down after they've finished flowering? I've read mid to late spring, but is that for the leaves and shaping, is it ok to snip the stems off sooner?

Thanks 😊

ViewAhead · 15 February

Morning!

The flowers are out now, and then they will become berries. I tend to trim the stems as the berries start to fall, because otherwise I get a lot of self-seedlings. A proportion of the leaves will naturally go brown and drop off of their own accord. If I want to remove any branches, I do this in the summer.

A little caution is needed as the black berries stain clothing - indelibly, for ever! 🤨

james-HYumfQs · 15 February

ViewAhead said:

Morning!

The flowers are out now, and then they will become berries. I tend to trim the stems as the berries start to fall, because otherwise I get a lot of self-seedlings. A proportion of the leaves will naturally go brown and drop off of their own accord. If I want to remove any branches, I do this in the summer.

A little caution is needed as the black berries stain clothing - indelibly, for ever! 🤨

Thanks so much, the leaves are looking great and it grew like billy-oh last year from a very small plant the year before. We have the flowers and I think the berries had already come through, my mum was dead heading yesterday and cut the two flowered stems down, they're were about 8-12 inches. I just worried it was too early, as I was going to leave the stems until later. I'll just have to keep an eye on it and cover if we get another frost. 🙏🏻

Fairygirl · 15 February

I cut mine back most years because of the condition of the leaves after winter. Usually around April.
We rarely get flowers, or fruits, because it's too late in the year by the time they would produce any - the buds just rot. They're pretty tough - much tougher than many people realise, but if you do it when there's no immediate frost or ice in your forecast, that'll be fine.

PS - I wouldn't bother covering it. If there's any frost damage, you can cut back again later on

james-HYumfQs · 15 February

Thanks everyone really helpful. She's a nice specimen.

Fairygirl · 15 February

They aren't ideal to keep in containers long term unfortunately. They need a fair bit of room to do really well.
I can see you're using it to cover a drain/manhole though, but it also looks quite exposed, and they can get more damage in exposed sites. They get very limp if hit by a sudden frost, although light frosts down to about minus 3 aren't too bad. It's usually when it's been milder and then the temps drop quite sharpl that the fleshy leaves get affected more, especially if it's icy rather than just a frost.
You may need to rethink the site for it, and have something else in the pot to cover the manhole.

james-HYumfQs · 15 February

Fairygirl said:

They aren't ideal to keep in containers long term unfortunately. They need a fair bit of room to do really well.
I can see you're using it to cover a drain/manhole though, but it also looks quite exposed, and they can get more damage in exposed sites. They get very limp if hit by a sudden frost, although light frosts down to about minus 3 aren't too bad. It's usually when it's been milder and then the temps drop quite sharpl that the fleshy leaves get affected more, especially if it's icy rather than just a frost.
You may need to rethink the site for it, and have something else in the pot to cover the manhole.

Thanks for the reply. Yes that was going to be my second? As it's been in that pot for 2 years now and was mainly to fill the manhole cover up. Don't have much room in the bed so might have to put somewhere else. The position isn't too bad to be honest, it doesn't get a lot of wind and gets ample shade and sunlight as the witch hazel and twisted hazel cover it up. It's grown a lot better than the one at the school, which was the same stock has that one at the school is in more sunlight and the leaves get affected during summer months. I was thinking of a pot twice the size of this one which I do have but maybe even that will still be too small?

Fairygirl · 15 February

That certainly sounds a better size for it. They do get quite big root systems, so you might find that there isn't much else in that pot apart from roots!
One thing to be aware of is that it looks like one of those 'bellied' pots, which can be tricky when you need to remove a plant. I find it easier to do when the soil's dry, but most people prefer the soil being wet. A long knife or similar pushed down round the inside often helps to release the soil/plant. You don't want to break the pot, and often that's the only way people can get a plant out if it's really taken hold. Fingers crossed it'll be ok.

ViewAhead · 15 February

james-HYumfQs said:

... Don't have much room in the bed so might have to put somewhere else.

It may need less room at ground level than you think. 🙂 Once planted, it will shoot upwards and become the equivalent of a multi-stemmed small tree. The canopy will be large and, therefore, cast shade, but at ground level there will be room for other plants underneath.

At least ... that is how mine has behaved. I got it as a one-leaf, sad little thing in a broken 3" pot, reduced to 49p. Now, it is about 4-5 ms tall and the canopy is about that wide, but most of the leaves are at about 1.5 ms off the ground.

If it is staying in a pot, it will appreciate an annual slow release feed in spring. 👍

Fatsia japonica

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