Pinching nursery stock aka PreBonsai question

ant888

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Hi all. I was wondering if it's appropriate to pinch deciduous buds if I repotted a new tree I bought from nursery. I didn't mess with the root system, I will study the roots next spring at the right season.

As a beginner, I read different things about this topic some I read say to give the tree time to establish again, but I didn't take the rootball apart or did any root pruning, I simply repotted because the original pot was made of really cheap plastic.

So should I wait to pinch the buds, or do it now? I don't want the tree to grow internodes and get tall before next spring. I'd rather have some of the growth focus on making the inner medium branches become a little bit "fuller", instead of growing taller and taller. Thanks in advance!
 

Juanmi

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I would say let the tree get confortable in its new environment and let it get strong. Even if you didn't touch the root system a tree is not suposed to move from one place to another. You'll always have time to pinch later.

Maybe you can tell us more about the tree.
 

Vance Wood

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Hi all. I was wondering if it's appropriate to pinch deciduous buds if I repotted a new tree I bought from nursery. I didn't mess with the root system, I will study the roots next spring at the right season.

As a beginner, I read different things about this topic some I read say to give the tree time to establish again, but I didn't take the rootball apart or did any root pruning, I simply repotted because the original pot was made of really cheap plastic.

So should I wait to pinch the buds, or do it now? I don't want the tree to grow internodes and get tall before next spring. I'd rather have some of the growth focus on making the inner medium branches become a little bit "fuller", instead of growing taller and taller. Thanks in advance!
You had better check your sources of information; I have never in the 60+ years I have been doing bonsai pinched the buds on a deciduous tree.
 

penumbra

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I suspect a miscommunication.
What kind of tree are you working with?
 

Vance Wood

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Hi all. I was wondering if it's appropriate to pinch deciduous buds if I repotted a new tree I bought from nursery. I didn't mess with the root system, I will study the roots next spring at the right season.

As a beginner, I read different things about this topic some I read say to give the tree time to establish again, but I didn't take the rootball apart or did any root pruning, I simply repotted because the original pot was made of really cheap plastic.

So should I wait to pinch the buds, or do it now? I don't want the tree to grow internodes and get tall before next spring. I'd rather have some of the growth focus on making the inner medium branches become a little bit "fuller", instead of growing taller and taller. Thanks in advance!
I tried to send you a bit more percise answer but somehow it did not get published. What kind of tree are you dealing with?
 

Forsoothe!

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Pinching tips is my SOP to keep deciduous trees compact.
 

MrWunderful

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Only pinch to develop tight ramification in close to “finished” trees.

If your primary and secondary branches are not set, no need to pinch. Grow out, cut back, repeat.
 

Orion_metalhead

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If you want the branches to thicken up, let those branches run unrestrained. Is the trunk the thickness you want? Is the major branching form set? I like to keep my deciduous compact, but I always let the first flush grow out before pruning back.
 

Vance Wood

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I don't mean to be a hard ass but what kind of tree are we talking about in the first place--- and are you clear that generally we do not discuss pinching buds and deciduous trees in the same context except here in this thread? Sorce is correct: Inorder to be accurate we need a picture of the tree in question, then all the rest of this crap become mute.
 
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