Decandling season, typically late spring through early summer, can entail a lot more than removing spring growth from pine bonsai. It’s also a great time for removing extra needles, light cutback, and even wiring. Because the timing of the decandling is of some importance, I usually decandle my trees at the appointed times and then […]
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.
A cutback-decandling technique
This past January, I attended a workshop run by Daisaku Nomoto. As I was about to start plucking needles on a young pine, Nomoto recommended I leave some of the oldest needles in place. I asked why, and he suggested the following technique. Many branches on the young pine below have grown vigorously. Even after […]
Making a large cut on a ficus bonsai
I’ve been having fun watching my new ficus develop. After seeing how quickly it’s grown, I can better understand the appeal of ficus bonsai. Here are some shots of the tree since the initial cutback in April (see “New Ficus Bonsai” for details). After heavy cutback and repotting – 4/1/12 After 6 weeks in greenhouse […]
Starting an olive bonsai from scratch
Last fall a friend dug up an olive tree growing as a weed in his backyard. He figured someone might be interested in it. I figured it would make a fun bonsai project. Black olive The tree was tall and rangy but there was some taper at the base of the trunk. Shoots emerging from […]
Japanese plum cutback
My Japanese plum has really enjoyed the warm weather this spring. The many long shoots emerging from the first branch have given the tree a rangy appearance. It was time for some cutback. Japanese plum – May 2011 I reduced the longest of the shoots and wired what was left of the new growth. This […]