Shohin spirea - hard pruning

[Brian Van Fleet]

Oops posted before I saw your reply BVF. I understand now what you are saying. To really make this tree better I should try to prune for even better shorter taper. Is that it in a nutshell ? I can do that, not trying to be defensive or anything. Thanks for the advice, I will go home today, get out the cutters and take a deep breath .....

That's it in a nutshell...but again, I'm looking at one photo. Even as it sits, it's a nice tree.

It's important to note that hard pruning is partly to remove defects, and since you've already gone this far, be darn sure you don't leave anything you view as defective, or you'll be right back here again...

 

[october]

How tall is this tree? You could put a can of soda near it for reference.

Rob

 

[davetree]

Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, as they say. Here is the tree after some ruthless pruning. There is a stub for each branch that will be cut back after a new bud pops, which will be closer in than the end. I also left a couple of branches for insurance. It is certainly going to appear more muscular and stout this way. I will probably up-pot in the spring to speed things up. If it turns out, it should be a nice looking tree and hopefully a better tree. Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

 

[JudyB]

Very brave. Good job. Keep us updated!

 

[october]

This tree is very small. Almost a mame.. I think you have done well with this tree. Actually, In my opinion, the amount of pruning you did before this was ok as well. One thing I might have done was to angle the cuts. Your cuts seem very straight. Angled cuts will allow for branches with better taper. Of course, it would be nice the tree buds at the thinner angle of the cut. If it buds on the other side, it defeats the purpose. That is why when we make cuts, it is sometimes a good idea to look for possible buds and try to make them in that area.

All in all, I think this was, is, and will be a great great tree.

Here are the angled cuts.

Rob

 

[davetree]

Thanks. I expect to carve the angles after the buds pop. I am sure they will bud about a half inch below the cut. When the shoot is strong I will refine the cuts. It will be fun to place this tree in a smaller pot eventually, letting it show its strength in the trunk.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Good stuff. When it pops, be sure that you're on top of it so it isn't allowed to develop too many shoots at the cuts. Pick two or three and rub out everything else. Let those grow pretty long before cutting back. That will help develop taper without knobs.

 

[DRIFTER7777]

hows this tree doing?

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Is this tree still alive?

 

[davetree]

Yes still alive. It has long shoots growing from the cut back areas. I'm at work and can't post a pic.

 

[fourteener]

Sometimes with small bonsai you have to cut way back and almost start over. This tree had a lot of root work done last year and the branches grew wild. Going the through the tree this winter I realized it was time to cut way back, keeping the good branches and getting rid of all the long ones and pitchforks. This looks severe but the tree will recover and be a better bonsai. It's easy to grow a bush on top of a trunk but to make old looking branches takes fortitude. As Rockm says it can't be faked. This is the second time I have done this to this tree and it is just starting to look old and gnarly. I left three apexes on top for options. This year the tree will have less foliage and should look better showing off a little more trunk. Comments are appreciated, thanks

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I have some picky friends who step into my back yard and think that every tree I have should be in full "show" mode. They fail to understand the process of it all. A friend of mine always asks me if I want it to look good today or 3-5 years from now. Of course the answer is both! But there is no multiple choice of "c" on the test.

Thinning it back to the major structure and refining is sometimes a needed step. Looks Good!

 

[carobone]

Update

Greetings,

Dave, would be great to get an update on this tree. Thanks.

-Vince

 

[davetree]

Cutting this tree way back was hard on it. The central trunk died back and I am left with four strong shoots on the tree with which to rebuild. I will post a pic when I get time. In retrospect it was too much too fast for a shrub type tree but I still may be able to make something really good out of it.

 

[Vin]

I don't recall this thread but I'm glad @Vance Wood made reference to it today. My Spirea has frustrated the crap out of me over the past few years. The first year, after pruning hard, it filled out beautifully and I thought I was really on to something. The fall color gave me even more inspiration. However, since then it's been a real struggle. Lots of die back and it has not leafed out with a full flush since. I haven't thrown in the towel yet but it's probably about time.

 

[davetree]

Well they are shrubs and seem to have die back issues. Difficult to work with.

 

[HoneyHornet]

Ever recover?

 

[tmonda53]

Also curious for updates