When developing primary branches on bonsai with large trunks, it’s common to create them with sacrifice branches that grow freely until they reach the desired thickness. Once the branch is big enough, it’s time to reduce it. Here’s what this looks like on a medium sized coast redwood. Coast redwood Reducing the sacrifice branch (thanks, […]
Bonsai Development
Bonsai Development posts form the heart of Bonsai Tonight. Learn about varieties like Black Pine, Shimpaku and Japanese Maple, techniques like Decandling and Grafting and Air Layering, and bonsai features like Deadwood.
Creating shohin beautyberry
Beautyberry is a great deciduous shrub known for its purple fruit in fall and winter. This show of color makes it a popular choice for shohin as it provides contrast and color to multi-tree displays. I repotted a young beautyberry this past February and have been letting it grow freely since. It was time to […]
Cork oak pruning follow-up
After pruning broadleaf evergreens in summer, you may see lots of small shoots emerging close to the places that were cut. I usually let these grow a bit before thinning them in fall, but this year I’m removing all of the buds that I don’t plan to use and shortening the buds that are already […]
Post-bloom thinning satsuki azalea
When healthy satsuki finish blooming, it’s a great time to thin trees that have grown dense. Normally this work happens earlier in the growing season but I didn’t get to it on time and I know that the dense foliage will weaken interior growth and invite insects if I wait any longer to prune. Here’s […]
Should I fertilize my decandled pines in summer?
To determine if a decandled pine needs fertilizer in summer, I check to see how the summer buds look. If they’re strong, I hold off on the fertilizer until later in the growing season (usually September or October). If the buds are modest or small, I consider whether or not the pine looks good in […]