Murisaki Kiyohime Bonsai

[Deez Nutz]

I’m new to Bonsai and I got a Murisaki Kyohime. I know I need to prune it and shape it, but frankly, I look at it and don’t even know which branches I should prune, I’m going nutz here. Any help will be highly appreciated

 

[penumbra]

That is one of my favorite cultivars.
Fortunately you have all winter long to study it before you start pruning. That will give you a chance to think about where you want to take it.

 

[Deez Nutz]

That is one of my favorite cultivars.
Fortunately you have all winter long to study it before you start pruning. That will give you a chance to think about where you want to take it.

I do have time but I can’t find good content online to help me. This tree literally grows in every direction and it’s really hard to pick which branches are going to stay and which ones must go.

 

[InstilledChaos]

I’d probably leave any major work for the spring or early summer at this point. You should also add an approximate location and your hardiness zone to your profile to allow for advice more tailored to your climate.

For pruning the first order of business is to identify all the places where 3 or more branches (including the trunk) originate from one spot and thin down to 2. Unsightly swelling results eventually if you leave more than 2. You need to decide which branches to keep by evaluating branch placement relative to other branches, movement, ramification, and crotch angles. Once every junction is down to two, and you cleaned up any dead/diseased/overly weak branches it will give you a much clearer, and less overwhelming idea of what you have to work with.

 

[Deez Nutz]

I’d probably leave any major work for the spring or early summer at this point. You should also add an approximate location and your hardiness zone to your profile to allow for advice more tailored to your climate.

For pruning the first order of business is to identify all the places where 3 or more branches (including the trunk) originate from one spot and thin down to 2. Unsightly swelling results eventually if you leave more than 2. You need to decide which branches to keep by evaluating branch placement relative to other branches, movement, ramification, and crotch angles. Once every junction is down to two, and you cleaned up any dead/diseased/overly weak branches it will give you a much clearer, and less overwhelming idea of what you have to work with.

Thank you. I will try this. I’m in Zone 8A in North Carolina. I just opened this account today and I’m unfamiliar with everything.

 

[penumbra]

Thank you. I will try this. I’m in Zone 8A in North Carolina. I just opened this account today and I’m unfamiliar with everything.

You know there is a great show going on down there this weekend. The Winter Silhouette Bonsai Exhibition in Kannapolis. You should try to make it.

 

[Deez Nutz]

I will definitely go. Already looked it up, it’s 2.5 hrs from home. Thanks

 

[KikurageOtomo]

Start with eliminating material you are positive you don't want, Bar branches and branches emerging from awkward places. It makes it infinitely easier to process what can be used when its not obfuscated by other components.

 

[penumbra]

I will definitely go. Already looked it up, it’s 2.5 hrs from home. Thanks

This will be a fabulous show with many very knowledgeable bonsai folks and their trees on display.
There will also be a lot of vendors with quality plants, pots and tools. See you there.

 

[InstilledChaos]

I will definitely go. Already looked it up, it’s 2.5 hrs from home. Thanks

A great first exposure to top notch bonsai! Enjoy yourself! I’m jealous!

 

[Deez Nutz]

A great first exposure to top notch bonsai! Enjoy yourself! I’m jealous!

I couldn’t go.

 

[19Mateo83]

Thank you. I will try this. I’m in Zone 8A in North Carolina. I just opened this account today and I’m unfamiliar with everything.

Welcome to the forum, it’s nice to see another fellow North Carolinian. That kiyohime has loads of potential. It should also air layer nicely and be fairly easy to propagate from cuttings. The advice already given by other members is spot on, there’s no rush. You have plenty of time to study it this winter before you get chopping.

 

[Juanmi]

This might seem a bit drastic but I think that's what I would do.



Then you could repot it on a different angle (like 12°) and start over.

And I would like to stress that this is not the only option, nor the best one, it's just what I would do. If you don't feel comfortable with the idea of starting over, you should just ignore my proposition.

 

[gjones_42]

I’m new to Bonsai and I got a Murisaki Kyohime. I know I need to prune it and shape it, but frankly, I look at it and don’t even know which branches I should prune, I’m going nutz here. Any help will be highly appreciated

I've found the following series of youtube videos very helpful in giving a high level 101 on getting started w/ Bonsai. Just learning some of the vocab, a bit of the process, and mainly what search terms to use has been very helpful to learn more from the bnut forum. The deciduous videos would be helpful for you with this tree (there's one specifically on cleaning up a deciduous tree), then you can drill down into species-specific care & tendencies.

I've read in a few places Japanese maples bleed excessively in the spring if you prune. If this is relevant to your species, you'd be targeting next fall after leaf drop for pruning, which gives you even MORE time to decide

 

[BrightsideB]

I’m new to Bonsai and I got a Murisaki Kyohime. I know I need to prune it and shape it, but frankly, I look at it and don’t even know which branches I should prune, I’m going nutz here. Any help will be highly appreciated

I would air layer all the branches I could this spring and then start developing. You could do a forest with all those layers. But it’s hard for me personally to get rid of expensive material specially since bonsai already takes so much time. The tree will grow so much slower once you cut all those branches and roots and put it in a smaller pot.

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

Here’s a Murasaki Kiyo Hime I ordered from sooner plant farm last winter.

First order of business was getting rid of the graft. Here it is February 26.









As you can see they airlayer quite easily. I separated on July 24, almost 5 months to the day.





I think I read somewhere you can’t grow maples in New Mexico!






So here it is after it’s initial styling. Main priority is getting rid of faults that only get worse over time, better to take care of them now plus some of the branches have a very small window of opportunity to get some movement in them. With all the foliage above the roots nebari development will happen much faster.



If your tree were mine I would follow the same path.

 

[BrightsideB]

Here’s a Murasaki Kiyo Hime I ordered from sooner plant farm last winter.

First order of business was getting rid of the graft. Here it is February 26.


View attachment 464898


View attachment 464899

View attachment 464900

As you can see they airlayer quite easily. I separated on July 24, almost 5 months to the day.

View attachment 464901

View attachment 464903

I think I read somewhere you can’t grow maples in New Mexico!

View attachment 464904


View attachment 464905

So here it is after it’s initial styling. Main priority is getting rid of faults that only get worse over time, better to take care of them now plus some of the branches have a very small window of opportunity to get some movement in them. With all the foliage above the roots nebari development will happen much faster.

View attachment 464906

If your tree were mine I would follow the same path.

Great work! Did you keep the rootstock?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Deez Nutz
Your photos are not detailed enough for me to do design. But superficially, it looks a pretty good "broom style" much like an elm street tree. I would do no pruning. Just grow it. Maybe repot in spring, but forget the pruning until later. It will become obvious in time what needs to go. I often grow new material a year or two before any pruning to give myself time to really "see" possible designs. Then one day after a year or more of episodic contemplation, "it will come to me" and the pruning choices will be obvious.

 

[Deez Nutz]

What do u guys think? It’s my first time doing this.

 

[Deez Nutz]

@Deez Nutz
Your photos are not detailed enough for me to do design. But superficially, it looks a pretty good "broom style" much like an elm street tree. I would do no pruning. Just grow it. Maybe repot in spring, but forget the pruning until later. It will become obvious in time what needs to go. I often grow new material a year or two before any pruning to give myself time to really "see" possible designs. Then one day after a year or more of episodic contemplation, "it will come to me" and the pruning choices will be obvious.

Sorry I didn’t see this before. Now that I did prune it I kind of regret it. One branch broke while trying to shape it with wire. I think I violated my tree.