Prune-and-Grow Method

Prune-and-Grow is the recommended bonsai training method. This method increases branch ramification, encourages growth in non-pruned branches, and reduces leaf size (Defoliating is another effective method for reducing leaf size). As new shoots erupt from almost everywhere, especially around old latent bud scars and the bases of the removed branches, the bonsai artist carefully selects buds that will grow in the desired direction, and prune off the unwanted ones. If no such bud is found, then, all one can do is… be patient. A bud that grows in the direction you desire will appear eventually.

Lingnan penjing (Southern Style bonsai) artists use mainly the prune-and-grow method.

Wiring Method

Wrapping wire around branches and trunks allows the bonsai artist to create the desired general form and make detailed branch and leaf placements. When wire is used on new branches or shoots, it holds the branches in place until they lignify (become woody), which usually takes more or less one growing season. Some species do not lignify strongly, and branches of some trees are too stiff or brittle. In these cases, we cannot shape the bonsai trees by wiring, but only through pruning.

So… Prune-and-Grow or Wiring?

There appears to be a great philosophical difference between these two training techniques. As for me, I believe wire should only be used in the development stage. While I shape the new branches and shoots of my bonsai trees with wires, I remove the wires as soon as the desired shape has once developed.

I use wire on my bonsai trees as well, yet only during the development stage, and will remove the wire as soon as the shape has formed.

Today, most bonsai hobbyists apply a combination of the two methods, often without giving the decision much thought. While the prune-and-grow method can help to create a bonsai tree with more branches, smaller leaves, and greater details, using this method alone would take decades; a time schedule of no interest to most bonsai enthusiasts nowadays.

But, what’s even better than pruning sealer in retaining moist and minimizing the scar of the cut area is aluminum foil tape. Unlike pruning sealer, aluminum foil doesn’t need any time to dry. Hence, we do not have to worry if it gets rainy right after we seal the cuts on our bonsai trees in the garden. In addition, since aluminum foil can protect the cut on the bonsai tree from the sun and keep more moist, the wound often heals faster and nicer than with bonsai pruning sealer.

We should use aluminum foil instead of pruning sealer especially when the cut wound on the bonsai tree is big. On the other hand, when the wound is very small, such as a cut on a small branch of a mini bonsai tree, we should use pruning sealer instead. Aluminum foil cannot stick on an area very well if it is cut into a piece too small (< 5mm).

This is a cut that has healed very nicely, with a flat, natural look.

And here are some ugly ones. People can easily tell that a cut has been made on the bonsai tree.

Another defoliated bonsai tree

A few days ago, my bonsai teacher asked me to pick off all the leaves from a bonsai tree. This is called defoliating, a way to stimulate the tree to grow new branches and smaller leaves.

The bonsai tree before defoliation

Defoliating the bonsai tree

The bonsai tree after defoliation

This is the bonsai tree which I have defoliated. Instead of shears, I used tweezers since this is the fastest way to pinch off all the leaves on the Elm (and still, it took me around 3 hours to strip off this little bonsai of ~20 cm tall).

The defoliated bonsai tree after a major branch pruning

Teacher Wong gave the tree a major branch pruning after defoliation. This Elm is actually an award-winning mini bonsai. By defoliation and branch pruning, Teacher Wong is attempting to bring youth back to this old tree.

A truly A+ bonsai should look just as exquisite when it is naked of leaves, as the times when it is blooming vigorously with leaves and flowers.

Small bonsai such as shohin bonsai and mame bonsai are small enough to be held comfortably in the palm of the hand. Mame bonsai should not exceed 8-15cm in height, while shohin bonsai should not exceed 15-20cm. While the size is much smaller, the care and shaping of these small bonsai trees are the same as for their larger counterparts.

Check this post for more details on Classification of Bonsai Tree Based on Size.

Pruning a bonsai tree as small as shohin bonsai and mame bonsai can be a challenging task. We can use finger pruning techniques to train our bonsai. Since shears and cutters of normal size would be too big for a mame or shohin bonsai, it will require special tools for training our small bonsai trees.

Because our mame bonsai and shohin bonsai are too small to allow much training through wiring, pruning is probably the most important technique to master in the shaping of our mini bonsai trees. To start, we can prune back our small bonsai trees to one or two buds, and repeat this step till the bonsai trees begin to look more interesting. We can also cut off some dominant branches, or nip them off with our fingers to encourage the growth of some new tiny branches.

And similar to our bigger bonsai trees, to create some descending branches for our mame bonsai and shohin bonsai, we can bind the branches with bonsai wire or pull the branches down as far as possible with some wire and tie it to the container.

Lastly, because mame bonsai and shohin bonsai are so small, they are very light in weight and can be toppled off easily. Hence, it would be wise to secure the bonsai on the table, on the rack, or wherever it is put by fixing the small bonsai tree and its container with twine or wire.

The time it takes to develop the shapes and train the branches of our bonsai trees is often painfully long. And it will be worse if we make a wrong cut after months of waiting for the bonsai tree to finally has its branches developed as trained.

During the developing and training stage, we surely want our bonsai trees to grow as fast as possible, if not overnight.   There are several things we can do to help our bonsai trees to grow and develop it branches faster, and one of these is cutting away all flower buds before they start to bloom.

Yes, I know this is not easy. It is just too cruel to cut away all the buds that will blossom into beautiful flowers. But if you really want your bonsai tree to grow as fast as possible, then you better cut away all the flower buds, so to avoid your tree from spending most of its energy and nutrients on the blossoms.

I had never really known how bad of a problem an overgrown bonsai tree could be until I saw a real-life example last week when I was working with Teacher Wong in the bonsai workshop.

When we grow a bonsai tree, most likely, we have to prune and wire the branches to style the tree in the early stage of its training. And after each round of pruning and wiring, we will just leave the tree alone until its branches have grown thick enough or the tree has developed into the shape we want before we move on to more pruning and wiring.

But sometimes, we may get too busy in life that we have forgotten our bonsai tree until it’s too late…

This is the overgrown bonsai tree. Teacher Wong has probably left the tree alone for too long that the branches have overgrown, becoming too thick, and getting out of proportion with the trunk of the tree.

Look how unhappy Teacher Wong was when he was cutting off the overgrown branches. Once the branch has overgrown, the problem cannot be undone. And instead of leaving these ugly, unnatural looking branches around, Teacher Wong just cut them away, and waits for the tree to grow some new branches again.

Teacher Wong said that this tree might not be able to survive. If there is no sign of growth in these coming few months, he will have to give up the tree.