Although the basics of spring maintenance stay the same from year to year, I’ll often make adjustments based on how the tree is growing. My standard approach to pruning ume, for example, is to cut every branch back to two or three new buds. Here’s a look at the result of last year’s cutback. Ume […]
Ume
Ume observations and cutback
I’ve been curious, for the last month or so, if my ume was planning to drop its leaves this winter. Ume with green leaves in December Upon taking a closer look this week, I noticed that the lowest branch had lost all of its leaves. The lower branch after losing its leaves Although it’s not […]
Directional pruning – a tip from Andrew Robson
Andrew Robson was in town last week to deliver a presentation for the Bonsai Society of San Francisco. For those who don’t know Andrew, he recently wrapped up a three-year apprenticeship with Michael Hagedorn in Portland, Oregon. Andrew working on a dwarf quince Andrew is an incredibly talented bonsai professional with a focus on deciduous […]
Pot selection exercise – semi-cascade ume
Years ago, my ume bonsai grew upright as an informal upright tree. After losing all but one of the branches several years ago, I decided to change the tree to a semi-cascade style. When it was ready to go back into a bonsai pot, I found I didn’t have any good options for it. The […]
Cutback and wiring on a semi-cascade ume
Mid-May is when I usually begin working on my deciduous bonsai. If a tree has grown well, I’ll reduce the new shoots to 2-4 leaves and wire any branches that need adjusting. An ume in my garden has been growing vigorously this year. It’s time for cutback. Ume It was hard for me to see […]