How to Prune Podocarpus? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Pruning Methods
Podocarpus (Podocarpus spp.) is an evergreen coniferous tree of the genus Podocarpus in the family Podocarpaceae. It is often grown as a potted ornamental, and in cultivation its tolerance of pruning and small leaf shape are usually used to create various forms, such as spherical, conical, and multi-tiered spherical shapes. The main pruning methods are thinning, heading back, and renewal pruning. Let's take a look below at how to prune Podocarpus!
Podocarpus Thinning Method
Thinning Podocarpus means cutting branches off from the base. Thinning improves ventilation and light penetration in the tree stump, concentrates nutrient supply, and promotes vigorous growth. Thinning young trees early can help them develop and grow normally. When shaping, thinning allows the retained structural branches to receive sufficient nutrients and speeds up the formation of the shape. In a finished stump bonsai, thinning helps balance nutrients so that it stays old without declining. When thinning, cut off diseased and pest-infested branches and burn them immediately to prevent the spread of pests and diseases, and promptly remove any branches that spoil the appearance. Generally, of two parallel branches growing very close together, one should be cut off; of stacked and opposite branches, one of each pair should be cut off; of whorled branches, only one should be kept and all the rest cut off; and water sprouts, and upright, drooping, and reverse-facing branches growing from the main branches should all be cut off. Of forked and crossing branches, one fork should be cut off. On tree species with strong sprouting ability, the small shoots that emerge should all be cut off early, except for one shoot left at a position where a branch is missing to slowly induce a replacement branch, so as to avoid consuming nutrients and weakening the tree's vigor.
Podocarpus Heading Back Method
Heading back Podocarpus means cutting long branches short to stimulate the axillary buds below the cut to sprout and form stronger side branches, thereby promoting branching and making shaping easier. During shaping, after the surplus branches have been thinned out, the retained structural branches should be cut back to encourage them to sprout 2 to 3 times a year. Cutting back once after each flush of growth will rapidly increase the branching order of the structural branches and keep each order of branches very short instead of letting them stretch out. Therefore, heading back is an effective measure for controlling growth and keeping a stump bonsai compact, and it is also an important means of giving the stump the form of a large tree and achieving the shape early.
Podocarpus Renewal Pruning Method
Renewal pruning of Podocarpus means cutting back branches that are several years old. It is a powerful measure for reducing the size of a large tree, and also an important means of promoting the sprouting of new branches and restoring the tree's vigor. For stump bonsai plants with a good posture but a large canopy and long main branches, heading back and thinning of one-year-old branches alone cannot meet the shaping requirements of a stump bonsai; renewal pruning can make a large tree smaller, which is favorable for stump bonsai shaping. For some tree species with strong sprouting ability, the amount of renewal pruning can be greater, that is, cutting away all twigs and leaves and keeping only the framework of the stump, to stimulate new branches to sprout below the cuts.