Page 74 - Ebook bonsai for beginner

order to force the tree to distribute growth more evenly and develop a
dense foliage.

As opposed to deciduous trees, pine trees and conifers should be
pinched by hand. Using scissors to prune conifers would lead to dead
brown foliage at the cuttings (see photo 1, below). To prevent this from
happening hold the tip of the shoot between your thumb and pointing
finger and carefully pull it away; the shoot will snap at its weakest point

and no brown ends will appear (see photo 2, below).

Don’t prune Pines or Conifers (left); pinch them with your fingers (right).

Bonsai style pruning

To give a tree its basic shape often involves pruning large branches.
Deciding on which branches should stay and which ones should be
removed can be difficult, not only because it is an irreversible action but
also because it is part of deciding how the tree will look like. Before
learning more about the techniques used for pruning Bonsai, you might

want to take a look at the Bonsai progressions part of our website, where
you will find examples of experienced Bonsai growers style-pruning
nursery stock.

When?

For most trees, the early spring or late autumn is the right time to style-
prune (just before and after the growth season). In the tree species
section you can check information on your particular tree.

How?

Place the tree on a table at eye-level; first step is to remove all the dead
twigs and leaves from the tree. Now take some time to observe your tree
and decide which branches do not fit the desired design. A few guidelines

are listed below, but deciding on the future design of your tree is a