Pruning noobie question

[Gustavo Martins]

I have now delved into quite a few bonsai sites and there is generally a consensus that, for most species but especially deciduous, major pruning should be done in winter. ok I got it. But... As I see it most pruning of public trees happens in Autumn around here. They have been pruning trees all around the city for the past month or so. Even farmers around have now completed their annual pruning (e.g. Ficus carica and many others).

So my question is: Is there a difference? Is so, what are the pros and cons of winter vs autumn pruning?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I suspect your climate is sub-tropical. I am in a cold winter area, there are bonsai growers in the Azores, if you can, join, or at least attend without joining a few local bonsai club meetings and ask someone who grows in your climate about timing for pruning. But I'll take a stab at your question. My answer is assuming most trees have a seasonal growth pattern, that follows a winter, spring, summer, fall pattern. But you might be warm enough that the pattern is really a wet season - dry season pattern.

First - the best answer to when to prune is there is no one ideal time, and ''best practices'' or ideal time is species specific. So any generality will have many exceptions.

Generally for deciduous or evergreen broad leaf trees there are two times of year for pruning, In late winter, just before beginning of spring growth. The second season is early summer, after spring growth has extended, and begun to harden off close to the trunk but is still actively growing at the ends of branches. For some trees, the ''late winter'' pruning can be done as early as autumn, through to spring. There are species specific exceptions. For example, Princess Persimmon is pruned late autumn or very early in the winter. If you want to see flowers on a Satsuki azalea, no pruning after middle of summer, though for a well developed azalea you will thin out the number of blooms to balance the tree's strength sometime in autumn. Azaleas are normally pruned after flowering in late spring - early summer.

Nurseries, public utilities, and other commercial operations have other considerations beyond just the health of the tree being pruned. Autumn is not the worst time to prune, they usually have to pay a crew, and keep them busy all winter, so they will prune at less than ideal times for monetary reasons. With trees in the ground you can get away with some things that a tree that is all ready stressed by being forced to live in a bonsai pot will not tolerate.

Some species are best only being pruned while in active growth, (usually summer) such as the more tropical ficus species. (not carica). Where the temperate growing Ficus carica is best pruned while dormant.

So when you are trying to decide what to do with a specific tree, start a new thread with a picture of the tree and the name of the species, I'm sure the BNut's here will be happy to give you pruning advise specific to that species.

Also check the tutorials in the New to Bonsai threads.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Many thanks for your thorough reply @Leo in N E Illinois . It makes sense.

I don't think there are any local bonsai clubs, unfortunately. I need to create one myself

I've been using the search function to look for the tutorials you mentioned but with no success. Do they have a specific keyword in the title I can look for?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@sorce - or any other BNut help out. Tutorials, post links?

If you look at the "Forums" menu page, scroll down and you will see "Pines", "Junipers", "Other Conifers", "Maples", "Elms", "Flowering", etc. In each sub-forum, you will find posts related to care and pruning for species in each group. For example, care of olive trees is often a topic in "Fruiting". For beech and hornbeam are found in "Other Deciduous".

What tree species are native to your area? These will be best for use as bonsai, as the will handle your climate well. Also some of the invasive weed species that are local problems, are great for bonsai. The locally invasive species also demonstrate the ability to cope with your climate. A plus for using invasive species is most people will approve you digging up specimens from the wild as you are improving habitat for native species. So what is growing in your area?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Juniper is always a good species to start learning bonsai with, it is easy to create a passable bonsai with, and is a species that is capable of becoming a great bonsai. Are the Azores warm enough that Bougainvillea grows in gardens there? That is another good species. Olive, citrus, and many other species are good.

You need to know what species you are working with, before getting pruning advice.

 

[LanceMac10]

Click "Resources" at the top of the home page. Tutorials contained under this heading.

 

[sorce]

or any other BNut help out. Tutorials, post links?

Azores sounds like a Mystical place of wondrous beauty.

So I looked on maps and found Portugal...which out me in the middle of the Atlantic.
Or Spain.

If we don't know the climate....

Guesstavo?

What I was thinking is, if you prune directly after leaf fall...
The tree still has some time to close wounds.

But when do leaves fall?
If at all?

Sorce

 

[Gustavo Martins]

@sorce - or any other BNut help out. Tutorials, post links?

If you look at the "Forums" menu page, scroll down and you will see "Pines", "Junipers", "Other Conifers", "Maples", "Elms", "Flowering", etc. In each sub-forum, you will find posts related to care and pruning for species in each group. For example, care of olive trees is often a topic in "Fruiting". For beech and hornbeam are found in "Other Deciduous".

What tree species are native to your area? These will be best for use as bonsai, as the will handle your climate well. Also some of the invasive weed species that are local problems, are great for bonsai. The locally invasive species also demonstrate the ability to cope with your climate. A plus for using invasive species is most people will approve you digging up specimens from the wild as you are improving habitat for native species. So what is growing in your area?

Thanks. I thought you were pointing me to some specific tutorials. Yes, I've been delving in these sub-forums. But it's going to take some time to read all of it

There are lots of natives and endemics, which I kind of like and intend to try in the future. My problem, especially with the endemic, is that there is very little information about them. I will have to use guidance from similar species or species from the same genus.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Juniper is always a good species to start learning bonsai with, it is easy to create a passable bonsai with, and is a species that is capable of becoming a great bonsai. Are the Azores warm enough that Bougainvillea grows in gardens there? That is another good species. Olive, citrus, and many other species are good.

You need to know what species you are working with, before getting pruning advice.

There's one locally endemic Juniper brevifolia. Already asked the forestry services and they are going to give one to me. They produce for reforestation. They are protected, so no yamadori allowed...

My future plans in terms of species are:
1. Keep a s-curved Chinese elm mallsai (waiting for the timing for a trunk chop)
2. Bougie - it's a nursery plant that I have around for 6 years and decided to turn it into a bonsai (I hope). It grows very well outside the whole year.
3. Bought a Cotoneaster from a nursery stock.
4. Bought an Olive from a nursery stock
5. Bought an Japanese Maple from a nursery stock (this one I already know it's not the best for my climate). I love'em so much and I already found some that grow here in local gardens. Just gave this a hard prune.

And that's about it. I think it is enough to keep busy for the time being. I mean... I'm just starting so...

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Click "Resources" at the top of the home page. Tutorials contained under this heading.

Thanks. Will check.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Azores sounds like a Mystical place of wondrous beauty.

So I looked on maps and found Portugal...which out me in the middle of the Atlantic.
Or Spain.

If we don't know the climate....

Guesstavo?

What I was thinking is, if you prune directly after leaf fall...
The tree still has some time to close wounds.

But when do leaves fall?
If at all?

Sorce

The Azores is currently the best place to visit as pointed by many travel journals. It has been hidden away from the masses for many years, so it is still very pristine. It is very beautiful indeed. The European Hawaii

The climate is temperate oceanic, subtropical, wet and mild. Not too cold, not too hot with high relative humidity. Zone 11 I would think. I think we can grow most plants here. Public gardens have an assortment of trees and plants from all over the planet including tropicals, but also many temperate ones. No need to provide protection from cold. In other words, it is the flora heaven On top of this, we have scoria and pumice for free everywhere

Leaves from my Japanese maple just finished dropping last week. My Chinese elm is also yellowing and dropping some of its leaves at this moment (don't think it's gonna drop all of them). Bougie is flowering (but it nearly is all the time).

 

[sorce]

The European Hawaii

@Anthony @Shima

Island folk.

Sorce

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Most deciduous trees we prune here (Belgium) in fall. This way the small buds have time to strengthen. Pruning later will result in less equal growth and it will focus on the last remaining apical bud. When to prune is also dependent on the development of the tree and when you have time for it.

 

[Anthony]

To prune down here, you should first fertilise for a month. Because of the strength of the sun, we
use 1/3 Lawn fertiliser. Keeps the leaves deep green but no real extensions. Small numerous leaves.

Humidity depends on your location, where I am is around 80 % max when raining and 45 % for minimum, but
it is often 70% at night with a breeze. Fairly pleasant.

Trees rest here by most probably less light [say two or three months ] and then with the dry season, no water and in the rainy season
too much water.
We are about to enter the flowering time.
Buone Navidzd
Anthony

* Contrary to popular belief, growth is not continuous.

 

[Lobaeux]

I've been to the Azores, truly a wonderful place.

I'm not an expert on climateology, but I'd imagine that your area is akin to the SE USA, maybe Georgia or South Carolina, except not as hot and humid in the summer. I remember it being extremely windy one day when I flew in there.