There are hundreds of questions on bonsai forums, at clubs, and across the globe about pruning. What to prune, when to prune, why we prune, which species can I prune now, how often do I prune, etc. I want to help clarify these questions.
I’ll start with explaining why we prune. There are 3 main reasons to prune:
- Cleaning
- Controlling Growth
- Improving Structure
We clean to improve airflow and allow sunlight to penetrate into the interior and lower branches. This is also a precursory action to wiring and styling the tree. Trying to wire a tree without cleaning it first can be miserable, especially when doing it on a needle juniper. Cleaning consists pruning off weak interior growth with little to no ramification and clearing any foliage in the crotches between the trunks and branches. This includes leggy branches that are not developing in the desired direction.
Pruning is…
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