Should I constantly be pruning or should I immediately cut back new growth on my maples and other bonsai?

[isaaquitas]

Hello everyone, I saw that on small bonsai you should let the new growth continue to grow and not prune it back immediately. I don't have any small trees. Should I follow this and let new growth to become stronger before pruning it or should I cut back to shape as soon as I see new growth?

 

[dbonsaiw]

Posting some pics of the tree would be really helpful. Rather than focus on big vs small trees, keep in mind that allowing branches to extend freely will encourage thickening of branches and trunk. So the question is what do you want from your tree? If you are satisfied with the trunk size etc and the tree is more “finished” you will want to prune early to prevent the tree from losing its form. Otherwise, if you are still developing trunk/branches, you can let the branches extend freely to get the desired girth. There are some other finer points to this, but that’s the 30,000 foot view.

 

[isaaquitas]

Posting some pics of the tree would be really helpful. Rather than focus on big vs small trees, keep in mind that allowing branches to extend freely will encourage thickening of branches and trunk. So the question is what do you want from your tree? If you are satisfied with the trunk size etc and the tree is more “finished” you will want to prune early to prevent the tree from losing its form. Otherwise, if you are still developing trunk/branches, you can let the branches extend freely to get the desired girth. There are some other finer points to this, but that’s the 30,000 foot view.

Thanks, I will let them grow before pruning

 

[brentwood]

We had an artist do a workshop this weekend, and almost every tree was underpotted in his opinion for the stage of development. Big pots, long branches, lots of energy until your tree is in refinement. It's a lesson that's worth repeating in your head when considering what to do.
Good luck!
B

 

[isaaquitas]

We had an artist do a workshop this weekend, and almost every tree was underpotted in his opinion for the stage of development. Big pots, long branches, lots of energy until your tree is in refinement. It's a lesson that's worth repeating in your head when considering what to do.
Good luck!
B

Thanks

 

[Maros]

I think I talked about it in this video. Try to check it, maybe it will help you understand plant growth patterns.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Hello everyone, I saw that on small bonsai you should let the new growth continue to grow and not prune it back immediately. I don't have any small trees. Should I follow this and let new growth to become stronger before pruning it or should I cut back to shape as soon as I see new growth?

Is your tree finished or still growing out? Usually want to keep a shape of a finished tree, and even then you don’t want to constantly prune to keep shape of any size tree. Let a finished tree grow a little and gain vigor, then cut to shape again.

If your tree is not finished, well that’s a whole other discussion.

 

[isaaquitas]

Is your tree finished or still growing out? Usually want to keep a shape of a finished tree, and even then you don’t want to constantly prune to keep shape of any size tree. Let a finished tree grow a little and gain vigor, then cut to shape again.

If your tree is not finished, well that’s a whole other discussion.

Thanks, most of my trees are not finished are there any other things I should know?

 

[Daniel son STL]

Thanks, most of my trees are not finished are there any other things I should know?

Trees shouldn’t look perfectly groomed all the time. Fertilize, let them grow, cut them back harshly (if healthy), then slowly they look good again, or cut them back to silhouette.
Man….
There’s books and books on the subject though.
Start with YouTube if you havnt already. It’s always a fun place to start.

 

[isaaquitas]

Trees shouldn’t look perfectly groomed all the time. Fertilize, let them grow, cut them back harshly (if healthy), then slowly they look good again
Man….
There’s books and books on the subject though.
Start with YouTube if you havnt already. It’s always a fun place to start.

Thanks do you recommend any books?

 

[Daniel son STL]

Thanks do you recommend any books?

The few that I have are on shohin. This website and YouTube are great though!

 

[isaaquitas]

The few that I have are on shohin. This website and YouTube are great though!

Thanks, I am also quite interested in those small bonsai. Could you suggest the books and please attach the website?

 

[WaywardSol]

It really depends on what stage in the cycle your tree is in and what you want from it.

Is it still in development? Do you want thickening and extension? Was the tree worked heavily earlier in the year or perhaps even the previous season and needs the energy boost from increased foliage? Was it recently repotted with lots of root work? These are indications to let it grow and cut back later.

Is it in refinement or finished? Do you want to encourage back budding in that area? Does the branch not need to be longer or thicker? Is that area getting out of balance with lots of vigor while other areas aren't showing as much vigor? Cut it.

I will also say, it's a good idea IMO (at least very generally) to either cut new growth early or cut late. If you purposely let it grow out or missed your window the tree has expended energy into that growth, give it some time for the new growth to return that energy investment and wait until later in the season to remove it. Doing so very soon after it's grown way out, or worse yet hardened off, means the tree expended that energy and won't get a return on that investment if it's removed soon after. That might not be a big deal in a tree that is extremely healthy and vigorous or it is an overall small percentage of the foliage, but it's something to keep this in mind when determining when to cut back a lot of overgrowth if you missed getting it early on.

 

[isaaquitas]

G

It really depends on what stage in the cycle your tree is in and what you want from it.

Is it still in development? Do you want thickening and extension? Was the tree worked heavily earlier in the year or perhaps even the previous season and needs the energy boost from increased foliage? Was it recently repotted with lots of root work? These are indications to let it grow and cut back later.

Is it in refinement or finished? Do you want to encourage back budding in that area? Does the branch not need to be longer or thicker? Is that area getting out of balance with lots of vigor while other areas aren't showing as much vigor? Cut it.

I will also say, it's a good idea IMO (at least very generally) to either cut new growth early or cut late. If you purposely let it grow out or missed your window the tree has expended energy into that growth, give it some time for the new growth to return that energy investment and wait until later in the season to remove it. Doing so very soon after it's grown way out, or worse yet hardened off, means the tree expended that energy and won't get a return on that investment if it's removed soon after. That might not be a big deal in a tree that is extremely healthy and vigorous or it is an overall small percentage of the foliage, but it's something to keep this in mind when determining when to cut back a lot of overgrowth if you missed getting it early on.

Thanks