How to prune jacaranda?

Bonbal

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New to bonsai. Grew this jacaranda mimosofolia from seed. It's over 2 years now and growing fine but I'm not sure how to give it that bonsai look and how to prune it correctly. Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

Thank you,
Alan
 

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Clicio

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The only advice I can give you is...
Let it grow and thicken and hope for some new growth low down on its trunk.
It is really easy to make jacarandá seeds sprout, but very difficult to turn them into nice bonsai.
They are native here.
 

BrianBay9

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My experience is that they back bud very well. I would suggest wire the trunk to put some movement in it at the bottom if you can now. It might be too thick for that already. Then let it grow until you have the trunk diameter you desire. Then cut it back to about 1/3 of its final height. Chances are it will sprout two buds on opposite sides of the trunk near the cut. Let them grow until they reach the desired thickness, then repeat on each, resulting in four buds growing out. Then repeat. Then repeat. After each hard pruning you'll have the option of wiring the new growth and putting more movement in those branches before they get too stiff.
 

Bonbal

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My experience is that they back bud very well. I would suggest wire the trunk to put some movement in it at the bottom if you can now. It might be too thick for that already. Then let it grow until you have the trunk diameter you desire. Then cut it back to about 1/3 of its final height. Chances are it will sprout two buds on opposite sides of the trunk near the cut. Let them grow until they reach the desired thickness, then repeat on each, resulting in four buds growing out. Then repeat. Then repeat. After each hard pruning you'll have the option of wiring the new growth and putting more movement in those branches before they get too stiff.
So just a completely horizontal clean cut 1/3 of the desired height? And it will recover from that and bud new stems?
 

Clicio

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So just a completely horizontal clean cut 1/3 of the desired height? And it will recover from that and bud new stems?
If you do it, please keep us posted.I am very interested on the results.
 

BrianBay9

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So just a completely horizontal clean cut 1/3 of the desired height? And it will recover from that and bud new stems?

I have one jacaranda and I have been treating it this way. It always back buds for me. I assume they all behave similarly. I don't mean to sound legalistic here, it's just that I would be more definitive if I had hard pruned a hundred jacaranda and watched them all respond.

I would flat cut it and worry about dressing up the chop later, if necessary.
 
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Arlithrien

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Do any of you Jacaranda owners have experience with getting cuttings to root? I'm finding mixed results online and very few anecdotes. I am waiting until spring to collect but I might get impatient and take a few small cuttings now just to try water vs perlite.
 

Forsoothe!

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I have never seen one that approached bonsai. I gave up after `~8 or 10 years with a stick that I topped many times that would never branch. In retrospect, anything that has six foot leaves in nature maybe just isn't bonsai material?
 

BrianBay9

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No experience with root cuttings. And I'm not sure mine will ever be a bonsai. Decent trunk on it but I'm waiting to see if it will ever flower. I could tolerate its shortcomings for the flowers.
 

Arlithrien

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No experience with root cuttings. And I'm not sure mine will ever be a bonsai. Decent trunk on it but I'm waiting to see if it will ever flower. I could tolerate its shortcomings for the flowers.
I read that it takes up to 14 years to flower so the obvious conclusion is to attempt cuttings. It's probably a good idea to sow seeds in the meantime and then graft a mature jacaranda cutting onto seedling rootstock if cuttings fail to take normally.
 

Bonsaibard

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New to bonsai. Grew this jacaranda mimosofolia from seed. It's over 2 years now and growing fine but I'm not sure how to give it that bonsai look and how to prune it correctly. Any advice is sincerely appreciated.

Thank you,
Alan
Hello I know this thread is 2 or 3 years old but I came to say this tree is actually a delonix regia or royal poinciana or flame tree . It's easy to get the two confused as they look similar and they both come in that generic starter kit I also had one lol you can tell by the ends of the compound leaves . Flame trees ends come to a Y and jacaranda ends come to a W and since this tree has broader more oval leaflets with no leaflet in the middle it is in fact a flame tree .
 

Bonsaibard

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This is the flame tree notice the Y or two pointed end1662595949263-1893406367.jpg
 

igzbi

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Hi, I'm looking any idea how to prune my Jacaranda, its litle over 2 years from seed
 

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Arnold

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Hi, I'm looking any idea how to prune my Jacaranda, its litle over 2 years from seed
You have to cut the tips of the growing branches to make them ramify and bud back, prune above a node, if you dont prune them they just grow and grow without any ramification
 

igzbi

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You have to cut the tips of the growing branches to make them ramify and bud back, prune above a node, if you dont prune them they just grow and grow without any ramification
As of right now I'm getting 6 new branches and 1 from very bottom, but I feel like tree is being too big, could anyone guide me where i should cut existing branches?
 

SWfloirda

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A jacaranda is a very difficult tree to work with and give advice for as it is truly not a good species for bonsai, even if they put them in a "bonsai seed kit"

I say that and I have two myself. If you click on my profile you can find my thread along with videos.

I marked up your picture. 20221206_183229.jpgThe blue markings are the only branches there are. The yellow marking and the rest like it are compound leaves, they look and seem like a branch but they are just huge leaves. Just as Arnold says you can prune just above a leaf (node) and you will get two branches from that spot if it is healthy. I keep mine outside all the time here in the tropics so I don't know when a good time for that would be indoors. I prune mine from late January until November. I don't like to do much when there isn't much growing because of the low light and humidity.
 
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