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Bonsai
Pruning - How To Groom And Shape Your Tree
Pruning is the removal or reduction of parts of a plant, tree, or vine that are not required for
growth or production...
Basic
bonsai care is mainly about grooming, shaping, and pruning your
miniature tree. Of course, the ultimate look of your bonsai is totally up to you,
but the need to prune your bonsai should be taken into consideration no
matter what shape you seek. For an in depth look at bonsai pruning, a book on
bonsai methods is recommended, but we can touch on some bonsai pruning basics
here as well. (Note here is a link to some of the more popular bonsai books to consider:
Bonsai Books.)
The key to bonsai pruning is maintaining balance: Prune the roots at the
same time you prune the branches. One end should not be heavier than the
other. A top heavy bonsai can strain the roots. At the other extreme, less up top can
can fool the roots into supplying less nutrients than are actually needed. Suffice it to say, you will
encounter problems, if there is too little or too much foliage in
relation to the roots. It is best to prune them both at the same time.
The first step to bonsai pruning is to start with the branches. This results will guide you
on how much of the roots to prune. Get rid of any
branches that are not necessary to your design. For if you do not need
them, why keep them? If it is not going to flow with the design that
you are attempting, get rid of it.
The next step would be to prune in a way to
promote desired growth. What does that mean, you ask? Pruning one area will often
promote growth in another area; if your design calls for growth
elsewhere, prune an area that will spark that growth. This may take
some trial and error and a more subtle understanding of the species you are working with,
but you will learn this technique and be delighted with it. Finally, using some finger or leaf pruning
will
complete the pruning project. This is merely the process of using your forefinger
and thumb to twist and remove the unwanted growth one leaf at a time.
How do you know which branches to prune? The obvious branches to remove are the ones that are not
going anywhere
in your overall design. Next would be to remove the ones that cross the
trunk, these are usually useless in most designs. Then get rid of the
growth that comes towards you - these branches are considered distracting. Once you have
pruned what you think is enough, let the plant sit for a few days and
then come back and decide if you need to do any further bonsai pruning.
Finally, prune back the roots to match the general amount of banches you removed.
Bonsai pruning is not a hard task and should not be approached as such.
It is all about what you want and your vision, so you cannot go wrong.
Prune the unwanted and unnecessary branches and all will be well!
News About Bonsai Pruning
Garden CalendarSeattle Post Intelligencer - 3 hours agoONGOINGWeyerhaeuser's Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection: Guided Tour, Sundays at noon. Learn the history of the collection and the horticultural and artist ... |
Central Texas gardening workshops, festivalsAustin American-Statesman, TX - Aug 2, 2008Austin Bonsai Society discussion — 7 pm informal discussion Aug. 13; 7:30 pm Chuck Ware will talk about appropriate bonsai in August, tropical bonsai and ... |
Garden CalendarSeattle Post Intelligencer - Aug 13, 2008ONGOINGWeyerhaeuser's Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection: Guided Tour, Sundays at noon. Learn the history of the collection and the horticultural and artist ... |
bonsai pruning - Google News
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