Question about cutting thorns

[Alex DeRuiter]

Hey everyone,

I'm curious about cutting thorns off my Brazilian rain tree. While this won't lead to any loss of foliage, will it stress the tree at all? I'd really like to take the thorns off so I can wire the thing.

Anyone regularly cut thorns off of their trees? Do you think the impact of this will differ between species?

 

[HotAction]

Leave a small stump.

 

[Poink88]

Removing thorns should have minimal impact on Raintree.

Note that some plant species have thorns that turn into branches (but not exclusively) so the impact on those may be more...but still not significant since they shoot elsewhere too.

I remove thorns on my plants whenever possible, needed, or practical.

 

[Ron Dennis]

Hey everyone,

I'm curious about cutting thorns off my Brazilian rain tree. While this won't lead to any loss of foliage, will it stress the tree at all? I'd really like to take the thorns off so I can wire the thing.

Anyone regularly cut thorns off of their trees? Do you think the impact of this will differ between species?

Thanks for asking this question. I have been meaning to check with some friends on this same subject and keep forgetting to ask. Another question on Brazilian Rain tree is when is the best time to repot? It seems like overnight mine has become very root bound.

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

Thanks for the advice, guys! Very helpful, indeed. I shall leave a stump. Poink, good point about issues with other species. Luckily I don't think that's the case with the BRTs.

Ron, I was told that the best time to repot tropicals is midsummer. With Brazilian rain trees, you're going to want to protect them from the sun after the repot -- especially in high temperatures. You'll probably see some leaves fall, but don't worry.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

I've never met a species that has thorns that turn into branching.... doesn't mean they don't exist I guess... usually a bud has the option of becoming one of three things ... a branch, a flower, or a thorn (non thorning species obviously don't do that)

I remove thorns on all thorning species as they are painful and generally not useful in bonsai ...

 

[Poink88]

I've never met a species that has thorns that turn into branching.... doesn't mean they don't exist I guess... usually a bud has the option of becoming one of three things ... a branch, a flower, or a thorn (non thorning species obviously don't do that)

I remove thorns on all thorning species as they are painful and generally not useful in bonsai ...

Try growing Tintillo or Logwood/Campeche/Bloodwood. Do not cut the thorns and watch them sprout leaves and eventually new thorns. BTW, on these, the first few nodes usually don't have thorns (not big anyway) so you may not get any thorns if you pinch regularly.

 

[Bill S]

No experiance w/ BRTs but with Hawthorns (big thorns) I cut them off, leaving a little stub as Angl3fir3 mentioned. This process tends to push new buds by the stub. By the way when you cut them off pick up each one and find a good place to dispose of them. The other day when patting down a dig up in a pot I got one jammed into my finger about an inch and it isn't a good thing, trust me. It is also considered ok to remove them no points taken away for display purposes etc. they can be a hazzard.

 

[jk_lewis]

It depends:

On the size of the tree,
On the size of the thorns,
On the state of development as a bonsai.

Large (long or fat) thorns on a shohin or smaller tree -- cut; otherwise they're out of proportion.
If I'm still doing regular development work on the tree -- especially wiring -- I'll cut them. If all I'm doing is maintenance, I'll leave them IF they're in proportion to the size of the tree. (The thorns on a Washington Hawtorn -- sometimes 2 inches long -- will always be cut.) Gooseberry, they probably stay on.

 

[Poink88]

I've never met a species that has thorns that turn into branching.... doesn't mean they don't exist I guess... usually a bud has the option of becoming one of three things ... a branch, a flower, or a thorn

Just another thing I want to share to you. On cactus (at least with prickly pear cactus)...the thorns will turn into roots if you cut a pad and leave the thorns (just the thorns) touching the wet ground. I learned this while trying to eradicate some in my yard and ended with a lot more (smaller but more) cactus plants! LOL.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

Try growing Tintillo or Logwood/Campeche/Bloodwood. Do not cut the thorns and watch them sprout leaves and eventually new thorns. BTW, on these, the first few nodes usually don't have thorns (not big anyway) so you may not get any thorns if you pinch regularly.

so the thorns on these eventually vegetate and become branches if left alone??? that's pretty interesting ... I had never seen that before... thank you for sharing ....

I also never knew that the thorns themselves would turn into roots on some cacti .... learn something new every day ...

 

[Poink88]

Campeche and Tintillo is like this bluewood shown here ...
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Condalia+hookeri

How about thorns that branches with thorns (like antlers) like honey locust shown here
http://bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com/2010/01/honey-locust-thorns.html

 

[Marquise]

No experiance w/ BRTs but with Hawthorns (big thorns) I cut them off, leaving a little stub as Angl3fir3 mentioned. This process tends to push new buds by the stub. By the way when you cut them off pick up each one and find a good place to dispose of them. The other day when patting down a dig up in a pot I got one jammed into my finger about an inch and it isn't a good thing, trust me. It is also considered ok to remove them no points taken away for display purposes etc. they can be a hazzard.

I've never met a species that has thorns that turn into branching.... doesn't mean they don't exist I guess... usually a bud has the option of becoming one of three things ... a branch, a flower, or a thorn (non thorning species obviously don't do that)

I remove thorns on all thorning species as they are painful and generally not useful in bonsai ...

Thread 'Found out the Brazilian rain trees thorns turn into shoots if the humidity’s high enough if it isn’t the tips dry up an it stays a thorn like the last'
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/f...y-up-an-it-stays-a-thorn-like-the-last.60136/

 

[ChefB]

Note that some plant species have thorns that turn into branches (but not exclusively) so the impact on those may be more...but still not significant since they shoot elsewhere too.

Gmelina philipensis is one of these.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Note that some plant species have thorns that turn into branches (but not exclusively) so the impact on those may be more...but still not significant since they shoot elsewhere too.

Who knew? Learned something today, thanks.