How to Prune a Kangaroo Paw Plant

Remove kangaroo paw flower spikes as soon as the flowers start to shrivel or dry out. Cut them off close to the base of the plant using a sharp knife or gardening scissors. Removing old flower spikes encourages the plant to produce new ones and also prevents it wasting energy on seeds.

Cut your kangaroo plant back to the ground once it has finished flowering. Each cluster or fan of leaves only flowers once. Remove all leaves and flower spikes at a height of 1 inch above soil level, taking care not to damage any emerging new growth. Your plants will produce new fans of leaves from their fleshy, rhizomatous roots.

Remove any dead leaves from your kangaroo paw regularly. Cut off any leaves that have turned black due to frost damage. Keeping your plant tidy helps to prevent fungal disease. Cut off any flower spikes or leaves that start to go black at the tips. This is a sign of infection by ink spot disease, a fungus that can be lethal to kangaroo paw. Reduce watering and apply a fungicidal spray if you suspect that your kangaroo paw has ink spot disease.

Propagate kangaroo paw by digging up the rhizomatous roots after pruning the plant back to the ground. Divide the roots by hand, taking care not to damage any new growth, and re-plant.