Trim a Bonsai
Bonsai is the Japanese practice of growing miniature trees in small containers. The art of bonsai lies primarily in the grower's ability to shape the tree in order to contain and direct its growth. For this reason, learning how to trim a bonsai is an essential skill for any grower interested in this method. The steps below will help you to understanding the process of trimming and shaping your bonsai into a beautiful work of art.
Steps
- Determine which season your tree should be trimmed during. Bonsai trees should only be pruned during a certain time of year. This is so that the tree can adequately heal the wound created during pruning. The ideal pruning season will vary between tree species, but will usually be during the spring and summer when the plant is growing most vigorously. Check online or with a nursery to determine the pruning season for your species.
- Ensure that the tree has enough time to recover from the pruning. Remember: pruning any plant creates a wound that leaves the plant open to the risk of infection and requires extra energy to heal. Because bonsai trees must be pruned so often to maintain their shape, it is important that you schedule major trimmings as far away from each other as possible.
- Determine which branches should be pruned. Trimming a bonsai tree's branches is a matter of controlling the direction of growth. This is done for 2 reasons: for aesthetic interest and for structural stability.
- For aesthetic reasons, you will want to remove any branches that will clutter and cloud the tree's artistic line. These would include branches that cross each other, those that grow at very sharp angles, and those that grow across the trunk and interrupt its continuous line.
- For structural reasons, you want to leave branches intact that will increase growth in weak areas. For example, leave branches in place on thinner areas of the trunk to help thicken it. If the trunk leans heavily in one direction, remove branches in that direction while preserving those in the opposite direction.
- Trim the bonsai tree's roots accordingly. The above ground and underground portions of your bonsai tree will need to be kept in relative proportion. Make sure that you occasionally trim back the root system of the tree to prevent it from growing too vigorously. This quick growth can force you to prune more often than you'd like, which can expose the plant to infection and rot.
Tips
- Major branches should be trimmed with pruners or sharp scissors, but very small growths can be pinched cleanly away with your fingers.
- Juniper and ficus are 2 of the most popular types of trees for use in bonsai, but there are dozens more that can be adapted as well.
Things You'll Need
- Bonsai tree
- Container
- Pruners
