AusBonsai

Hi all,
Just wanted to share this link with you guys.


Refurbishing a Japanese maple - the "hedge cutting method"
by Walter Pall
http://walterpallbonsaiarticles.blogspo ... hedge.html


Cheers

Thanks, Xavier. Very interesting article, with useful information.

Lisa

Skimmed the article and at a glance, the Maple group's peripheral structure improves, but it still has primary branches throughout that are relatively the same diameter as the individual trees ascend. I can't help thinking that selective branch removal and regrowth would produce a more pleasing result, Peter Adams is a huge influence on me and writes about this in his books and Hiroshi Takeyama has grown some of the the best Maple groups in the world using the practice of culling coarse growth and replacing it with branches and twigs in more favourable positions.

This is just a first impression, I will read the article properly and look at the example in depth when I have more time.
Don't think for a moment that I wouldn't love to own this tree.

Cheers,
Mojo

Very interesting. So to sum up:

1. let the spring flush go free and untamed for 6-8 weeks, so maybe cut back in late October/early November for us in Aus?
2. then let grow wild again before another cut back at the end of February??

Interesting thought = yes you are getting smaller leaves, as your tree is about to die!!

Qitianlong wrote:Interesting thought = yes you are getting smaller leaves, as your tree is about to die!!

I saw a video of Ryan Neil talking about pines the other day and he said the same thing about pinching them. You have to let things grow until they have hardened off so the tree can regain the strength it used to push that growth, then you can cut back. But leave at least some of the new growth (for pines at least). Very interesting and not what I found in books when I first started doing bonsai!

Yes I think this applies to a lot of trees and when in doubt I will prune like this.but there are some species which are recomended to be cut back sooner in spring ( hawthorn ) is one species which responds with a better second flush when pruned early in spring before the stems turn woody .