Experience with Pruning Burning Bush

[Apex37]

Just curious other's experiences with this species. I have one I got from HD some time back that I'm planning on repotting and doing some pruning once spring starts up (usually here it's best the last week of Feb or first 2 weeks of March).

Interested to hear about how well they back bud and take root prunings. I imagine the roots are mess, but it does have a slight nebari forming I'm hoping to capitalize on. Not sure on how well they back bud off hardwood, but from what I can tell they're pretty hardy. I really love the bark this thing forms naturally and of course the showy bright red fall color.

Planning on repotting this into an Anderson flat along with a couple other trees beginning of spring.

 

[Gaitano]

In my experience with a collected euonymous from the wild (Midwest US) and an air layer from a landscape tree, the roots are fine and full the pot every year. Yearly root pruning in the spring and they don’t skip a beat.

As for pruning of the branches, I usually do that in the fall right after leaf drop for trees still in the young stage. They back bud pretty well on the branches and trunk and nebari for that fact too not just at your typical branch areas. My trees only flush once a year so if I prune in the spring after bud break and hardening, I don’t get a second flush of growth, but all the energy fattens the dormant buds for the next spring. some folks have said they get a second flush, maybe they have a different cultivar?

If the tree is in refinement I will prune back to shape after leaf harden in late spring. If I need more branch girth or strength in the tree or trunk I just let ‘em run all year. This can also lead to wings growing on some branches. I have an air layer I’m working on from a landscape bush (haven’t separated yet) and the branches have wings


They are a very hardy species and fun to work with. The fall color can be very rewarding. I have photos of the two I’ve been working on, check out my previous posts.

 

[Gaitano]

Several areas where one has back budded.

 

[Apex37]

In my experience with a collected euonymous from the wild (Midwest US) and an air layer from a landscape tree, the roots are fine and full the pot every year. Yearly root pruning in the spring and they don’t skip a beat.

As for pruning of the branches, I usually do that in the fall right after leaf drop for trees still in the young stage. They back bud pretty well on the branches and trunk and nebari for that fact too not just at your typical branch areas. My trees only flush once a year so if I prune in the spring after bud break and hardening, I don’t get a second flush of growth, but all the energy fattens the dormant buds for the next spring. some folks have said they get a second flush, maybe they have a different cultivar?

If the tree is in refinement I will prune back to shape after leaf harden in late spring. If I need more branch girth or strength in the tree or trunk I just let ‘em run all year. This can also lead to wings growing on some branches. I have an air layer I’m working on from a landscape bush (haven’t separated yet) and the branches have wings


They are a very hardy species and fun to work with. The fall color can be very rewarding. I have photos of the two I’ve been working on, check out my previous posts.

This all great information, thank you so much for sharing!

Great to hear they're as hardy as I had hoped. I was planning on doing a major root pruning come early spring and probably let it grow wild for the first year and then maybe think about pruning. I hadn't touched it all year and just let it do its thing. Trying to get the trunk to thicken some before thinking about styling, but from how well they back bud that doesn't look to be any problem down the road.

 

[Gaitano]

Nope, shouldn't be a problem, and I have found that yearly root pruning is necessary. Once in a pot, they develop a nice thick root mat. Check out this thread, posts 16 and 14, as an example of 7 years of back budding and branch development.

Help identifying…

I was hoping some could help me identify these two…Thank You!!! First one…

www.bonsainut.com

 

[szelelaci]

I would add that when doing hard pruning only prune it back to existing bud because it is not guaranteed that bud will form on a stump.

 

[szelelaci]

I made this mistake when I started with burning bushes. Pruned back two plants to stumps. One became worthless from bonsai perspective, and still struggling to save the other project.

 

[Tieball]

I only prune in March, late winter while the bush is still dormant, well before any bud activity. After buds swell there’s no new bud growth until the next year. My burning bushes have one flush of growth. I’ve always trimmed to where I want and then the bush developed new buds and growth below that point. This follows a deer munching practice in my area. Deer will chew (prune) a branch very low in winter. It seems that after buds begin to form the deer are not interested. Something must taste bitter after growth starts.

 

[dbonsaiw]

I made this mistake when I started with burning bushes. Pruned back two plants to stumps. One became worthless from bonsai perspective, and still struggling to save the other project.

helló magyarország, hogy vagy? I'm in the same boat. I pruned back 2 pretty hard. They are just starting to backbud, so we will see.

 

[Gaitano]

Another thing about leaving a few bud options.. varmints and birds like to eat swelling buds.

I repotted my air layer this year but not my collected tree. The collected tree seems to be lagging a bit and the new growth isn’t as robust or full. I’m not sure why I skipped this year but next year I’ll remember this.

 

[Paradox]

They make good bonsai but are very slow to heal wounds

 

[Gaitano]

They make good bonsai but are very slow to heal wounds

This is also true. Here’s the wound from a trunk chop in 2014.

 

[Empty Mountain]

I got this euonymus alatus compactus last year and hard pruned it after leaf drop and then just let it flush out this spring. I performed a partial defoliation June 9th, removing every other leaf just to let air and light into the inside. I did not prune any of the new branches and I noticed today that some of them have started pushing at the tips again (last pic).


I have not repotted this yet it's still in nursery soil.