Advice on where to prune please

[Stick in a pot]

Hello, here is a collected sweet chestnut that ive put into a pot this week

A fair bit of root pruning done so need to make some adjustments to the above.

Im not really wanting to make this tree any shorter as the leaves are quite sizey and as is im quite happy with the taper and think it looks quite elegant

Where should I make the cuts, especially on the thicker branches so that I can then start the process on brach structure

Also with the branch right at the bottom I was thinking of leaving that be to thicken up the bottom of the trunk even more, am I right in doing so?

Also ive put it into this pot as ive read from Harry Harrington that to reduce the size of the chestnut leaves they need to be rootbound amd this was pretty much as small a pot I had at the time it would fit in

Thanks

Sean

 

[Stick in a pot]

Ps ive already taken off quite abit from the top, this was before repot

 

[Shibui]

If you've already reduced the top that much you probably don't need to take any more off just yet. Need to remember that growing shoots above help roots below to regrow. Most deciduous can be reduced both top and bottom but some species recover much better when we leave a bit more up top, at least for the recovery period.

Im not really wanting to make this tree any shorter as the leaves are quite sizey and as is im quite happy with the taper and think it looks quite elegant

Taper is much more important than height. We can easily grow a tree back to height but taper is much harder to achieve. If there is any good, lower potential new leader I would consider trunk reduction and then redevelop the height if necessary, especially if taper is an issue. In this case, taper is OK so not really needed.
Consideration for branches is same as for trunk. Taper, thickness and ramification. Cut and grow can help develop branches in the same way we develop trunks.
Branches with no taper need to be chopped hard and regrown slowly to gain taper, thickness and ramification.
Branches with no ramification need to be chopped hard to force branching then slowly grown out to develop taper, ramification and movement.

The low branch will definitely add thickness to the trunk below. It is very low but that's still Ok I think.
Just be aware that the thicker sacrifice branch the larger the scar when you chop it off. Less of a problem when the scar is hidden behind the trunk. Less of a problem when you can incorporate the scar as dead wood feature in the design (maybe not so great so low?) Also less of a problem if the branch can be converted to dead wood jin. More common on juniper, less on deciduous.

Pot bound will reduce leaf size of most species but also reduces tree vigour and health.
Reduced nutrient will also reduce leaf size but also health and vigour.
Reduced water will also reduce leaf size but corresponding reduction in health and risk to life.
Ramification will also reduce leaf size while still maintaining tree health and vigour. The problem here is that chestnut have relatively long internodes and don't ramify particularly well.

Best of luck with the chestnut as bonsai.

 

[Stick in a pot]

If you've already reduced the top that much you probably don't need to take any more off just yet. Need to remember that growing shoots above help roots below to regrow. Most deciduous can be reduced both top and bottom but some species recover much better when we leave a bit more up top, at least for the recovery period.


Taper is much more important than height. We can easily grow a tree back to height but taper is much harder to achieve. If there is any good, lower potential new leader I would consider trunk reduction and then redevelop the height if necessary, especially if taper is an issue. In this case, taper is OK so not really needed.
Consideration for branches is same as for trunk. Taper, thickness and ramification. Cut and grow can help develop branches in the same way we develop trunks.
Branches with no taper need to be chopped hard and regrown slowly to gain taper, thickness and ramification.
Branches with no ramification need to be chopped hard to force branching then slowly grown out to develop taper, ramification and movement.

The low branch will definitely add thickness to the trunk below. It is very low but that's still Ok I think.
Just be aware that the thicker sacrifice branch the larger the scar when you chop it off. Less of a problem when the scar is hidden behind the trunk. Less of a problem when you can incorporate the scar as dead wood feature in the design (maybe not so great so low?) Also less of a problem if the branch can be converted to dead wood jin. More common on juniper, less on deciduous.

Pot bound will reduce leaf size of most species but also reduces tree vigour and health.
Reduced nutrient will also reduce leaf size but also health and vigour.
Reduced water will also reduce leaf size but corresponding reduction in health and risk to life.
Ramification will also reduce leaf size while still maintaining tree health and vigour. The problem here is that chestnut have relatively long internodes and don't ramify particularly well.

Best of luck with the chestnut as bonsai.

Thankyou so much for all the advice and input, alot of things to think about and work out but all in good fun to learn with. I think pretty much all the branches from the trunk need to be taken right back as there is no movement in them. Do youn think I should leave as is for now and let it recover for a year and then make the next lot of structural pruning next year at this time?

 

[Stick in a pot]

There are buds right back towards the trunk sp if I were to chop close to these would that be a good idea to then start creating new structure?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Sweet chestnut can bud from everywhere if memory serves me right.
I would keep the trunk and hack everything back to it. Repeat that every 3-5 years and it'll be super gnarly. The old ones we have in the parks over here are treated as such and dang, they look ancient.

 

[Stick in a pot]

Sweet chestnut can bud from everywhere if memory serves me right.
I would keep the trunk and hack everything back to it. Repeat that every 3-5 years and it'll be super gnarly. The old ones we have in the parks over here are treated as such and dang, they look ancient.

Hi thanks for posting! Would that be the same for the current state of my tree as its just been root pruned so wont be as vigorous as old trees in the park should I wait to do those hard cut backs until a years growth and when it’s restored some energy

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

After a root prune I would give it a season to recover, yes. But if it shows good strength, I think you would be in the clear to go in hard.

 

[Stick in a pot]

After a root prune I would give it a season to recover, yes. But if it shows good strength, I think you would be in the clear to go in hard.

Thankyou for the advice

 

[Shibui]

Agree with giving most trees time to grow to feed replacement roots. You may be able to do some work this year, depending how it gets going this Summer.

Sweet chestnut can bud from everywhere if memory serves me right.

Can bud from any node.

All branches have nodes at the base because all branches start as a shoot growing from a bud at a node.
That means it will be possible to cut branches back to the trunk (leave a short stub to ensure you don't accidentally cut into the dormant buds around the base of the branch)
I only go back to the trunk if the branch is too thick or if the first node/dormant bud is too far away from the trunk to begin the ramification I want. In many cases, cut just above the first node which should give 2 or more new buds - 1 to develop branch, 1 to develop side shoot (ramification)
Some of those branches appear to have suitable side branches to cut back to. That should improve taper, add a change of direction and begin ramification.

Along with generally long internodes, a tendency to only produce a single bud after pruning can make building ramification on chestnut frustrating.