When the leaves of my Japanese plums (Prunus salicina) change color and fall off, it’s time for fall pruning. The goal is to remove branches that have reached the desired thickness and wire branches that are soft enough to bend. Here’s an example. Tree #1 before pruning Tree #1 after pruning and wiring These plums […]
Plum
What to do if your trees think it’s spring
Tips for keeping trees dormant through warm winters.
Diagnosing spots and twig dieback on a Japanese plum
Somewhere in the mid-1950s, my grandfather, Leo Dupuich, acquired a number of bonsai from a local landscaper and bonsai enthusiast named Jim Miyasaki. When my teenage father saw the trees, one stuck out to him – a Japanese plum. My dad cared for the tree for a number of years before giving it to my […]
Spring tune-up on Japanese plum
I like to check every tree in the garden at least once during the growing season. For deciduous trees, I look to see if there are branches that need wiring or pruning. The tree below produced a lot of new shoots this year. By wiring the base of these branches now, the curves can begin […]
Fall pruning on Japanese plum
I’ve been working on a batch of plums for the last few years. I prune them every six months – once in spring, and once in fall. The work is simple. If a branch or section of the trunk is straight, I wire it or remove it. Here are two examples. Japanese plum After removing […]