Autumn Pruning Bonsai
There are a few key times of year that we prune our trees. Autumn is an important time to prune most of our trees but it can also be a risky time of year for some others. Lets take a look at some nuances of Autumn Pruning.
Now here at the nursery I always teach my students when it comes to pruning know exactly why you are pruning and be sure of what the expected result is. If you don’t know why you are doing it or if your not actually sure how the tree will respond then take a step back and maybe seek some help.
When it comes to autumn time we can actually get a 3rd flush from most trees in our particular environment depending on how the first 2 flushes were handled. We have pretty much 9 months of growing season, I say pretty much because the weather can dictate this. Now if we are going for a 3rd flush or we are going to do pruning in general we need to break our trees into 2 categories which is deciduous and everything else.
If we are going to prune a deciduous tree to either get a 3rd flush or to just clean up the tree we need to be mindful of the fact that the tree at some point will begin to go dormant, some trees earlier than others. I always practice caution and make sure any deciduous trees that are getting pruned are done immediately at the beginning of Autumn to allow time for the new flush to set buds before dormancy, If you leave it too late than the new flush may not have bud set and you are now behind for the start of the next growing season or in some extreme cases you could lose some of your ramification.
Now in the everything else category we don’t have to be so mindful of timing here although if you want the most out of your new flush the earlier the better. The main goal of conifers or evergreens is to thin out dense trees to allow light and air into the interiors during the wet and damp winter season. If a tree is too dense the moisture can stay stagnant in the tree and cause rotting or fungal issues and pests target these trees come spring time, especially aphids.
Hopefully this makes you think a little more strategically about your autumn pruning.
