There is nothing lovelier than a Bonsai tree gracing a table in a home, but that plant will only be as attractive and healthy as the regular pruning it gets. The right time to prune a Bonsai will depend on the type of tree you have.
The best place to find this specific information is at a nursery that specializes in Bonsai trees or a Bonsai expert in your community. In addition to knowing when to prune your plant, recovery time is another essential part of successful Bonsai pruning. This can also depend on your plant; some trees will recover quite easily from cutting while others will have a more difficult recovery time.
Pruning Above and Below
Not only do you maintain bonsai trees above the soil, but sometimes you also need to address the roots during the pruning process. Bonsais do best if there is an even balance of growth both above and below the soil line. This means that if you cut your tree branches back significantly, you may need to do some pruning on the roots as well.
By the same token; if you don’t end up with much trimming on the trunk and branches, you may want to transplant your Bonsai tree into a larger container to promote root growth. You can let the roots outpace the upper branches by a small portion to encourage growth in the next season, but you should maintain balance between the two as consistently as possible.
The Purpose of Pruning a Bonsai Tree
There are three reasons to prune your Bonsai tree. One is to take off branches that are detracting from the overall design and line of the shape of your tree. If you want to encourage growth in a particular area, you can accomplish this through pruning as well. Simply prune the area where you want to see growth take place a little less than the rest of the tree. Sometimes pruning is done to encourage fine branching. You do this type of pruning generally by pinching off new growth that doesn’t follow the line of the tree. This type of pruning is most often used on evergreen Bonsais.
To prune your Bonsai tree, begin by using sharp pruning scissors to take off branches that are crossing other branches or the trunk. It is also a good idea to snip off the branches that are sticking out from the rest of the tree shape. Finally, you should remove branches that are growing straight down.
By following these techniques and reserving your pruning to the appropriate time of the year for your Bonsai tree, you can look forward to many years of beauty from your Bonsai.
