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Cutback and leaf pruning European beech

June 2, 2023 by Jonas Dupuich

Now’s a great time of year to check the foliage on deciduous bonsai to see how full the crown is. If you can’t see through the tree, it may be due for some time in the workshop.

Mature beech, for example, are usually good for a single flush of growth in spring. If the tree is healthy, it’ll push long shoots. Reducing these shoots to just a few new leaves is often enough thinning for trees in middle stages of development, but if the silhouette is full or the leaves are large, reducing the leaf size can let more light fall onto the lower branches and reach into the interior of the tree.

Here’s an example of a tree that has been cut back and leaf pruned.

European beech

European beech – 33″

Before thinning, most of the tree looked like the lowest branch on the right side – dense! I removed about half of the leaves from the tallest tree and leaf pruned 80-90% of the remaining leaves to about half their original size.

The tree was bare-rooted this past repotting season so I don’t expect many new shoots this summer, but normally I’d expect at least a little summer growth.

The next step for the tree will be to remove the leaves and perform fall pruning in November or December when most of the leaves have turned color.

In the meantime, I’ll keep watering and fertilizing the tree to get it as healthy as possible before winter.

News and Updates

  • The Sei Boku Bonsai Kai is hosting their 38th anniversary show this weekend at the San Mateo Garden Center at 605 Parkside Way in San Mateo. Show hours are 10-4, Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4, with a demonstration Saturday at 1 by David De Groot. David is the founding curator of what is now the Pacific Bonsai Museum and author of Principles of Bonsai Design, a excellent resource focusing on bonsai styles and styling. Come early to check out the club sales and vendors in the garden area. I’ll have tools, supplies, and a few trees on hand so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello!
  • At long last, the Bonsai Wire Podcast is back! Our publishing schedule won’t fully be back to normal for a while but we’d like to share a few episodes we recorded last fall while we’re gearing up for what’s next. In this episode, Sam Tan and Addison Galambos tell us how they progressed so rapidly in bonsai both in their studies and in the organizations that they help run, respectively, the Bonsai Society of San Francisco and East Bay Bonsai Society. Check out the episode at the Bonsai Wire Podcast.

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Filed Under: Bonsai Development Tagged With: Beech

Previous Post: « A visit to Bonsai Mirai
Next Post: Review: Mastering Shohin Japanese Black Pine Bonsai »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruthann says

    June 10, 2023 at 8:10 am

    Hello,
    I really like this Beech arrangement: the angles of the “trees”, the colors, simplicity, and “see through “ quality, you referred to. It is like a subtle comment that leaves room for it to bounce around in another person’s mind, and illicit their own thoughts.
    Ruthann Z. (Friend of Rachel)

  2. Adam Huschka says

    June 13, 2023 at 6:54 am

    Would it be possible to get a closeup of a it looks like when you cut a leaf “to half its original size”? I think I know what you mean, but would love to see it. I’m working with a young Japanese maple with large leaves.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      June 13, 2023 at 4:47 pm

      Here’s an example with stewartia: https://bonsaitonight.com/2009/06/21/leaf-pruning-stewartia/

      For Japanese maple, there are two basic approaches. One, you treat the leaves like you would for stewartia or beech but instead of folding the leaf you can reduce it by making two cuts. Two, you can remove the two side lobes of the leaf leaving just the center lobe. Does this help?

      • Adam Huschka says

        June 15, 2023 at 6:57 am

        Thank you! Super helpful!

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