There is an old saying that Bonsai enthusiasts often say, and is one that should be imprinted into your brain. ‘As with the bottom – so with the top’. Pretty simple huh, so with any major pruning either root or branches you are best advised to perform both simultaneously.

The reason being is to keep your Bonsai tree perfectly balanced. If your tree has less foliage on top then the roots won’t have to provide as much nutrients to keep your Bonsai healthy. Problems occur when there are too many branches growing foliage and insufficient roots or vice versa.

With this in mind there are three basic rules to pruning the branches of your Bonsai tree.

Rule 1:

Only remove branches that are affecting the way your Bonsai is growing. If a branch is causing the tree to drastically differ from your design it maybe appropriate to heavily prune that branch.

Rule 2:

Prune to sculpt. By pruning a particular area of your Bonsai tree heavily, new growth will be routed to the area least pruned. This is an excellent method to use and once mastered will enable you to shape your Bonsai tree accordingly.

Rule 3

Minor Bonsai sculpting involves finger or leaf pruning. The method here is to use your thumb and forefinger to grasp and pinch the unwanted growth and then twist to remove, thereby performing a clean cut. This technique is often used but is one that should be practiced first. You need to ensure that your cuts are clean precise. This will help avoid possible disease and infection. Finger pruning will also encourage fine branching and help develop back budding.

Now let’s look at what you should be looking for, as you decide how best to prune your Bonsai tree.

Branches that cross the trunk of your Bonsai tree, or one another should be pruned. The general rule here is if the branch isn’t serving any real purpose, and it can’t be wired back to a better position then it should go.

Eye stabbers should also be quickly disregarded. These are wayward branches that protrude from the front of the Bonsai in a threatening direction to yourself. Be warned these branches are named eye stabbers for a reason…

It’s a good idea now to step away from your Bonsai tree for a few days. As you are likely to have pruned quite a bit from your tree its time to back off and reflect on its new shape. This will give you the opportunity to decide if any other sculpting needs to be administered. It’s actually advisable to wait for you Bonsai tree to react to the changes you made before reaching for the secateurs one again.

It’s all too easy to get carried away when pruning your Bonsai tree, just remember that cutting branches off is easy, but putting them back on is impossible. The moral here is to only remove branches that need to go. This is why it is a good idea to follow a plan or picture. Something you can refer to when you are unsure on what to remove.

The art of Bonsai is a worthwhile and fascinating hobby that can last a life time. Don’t be put off pruning your Bonsai, and above all have fun looking after your miniature tree.