What are the pruning methods for osmanthus tree bonsai?
Pruning is one of the main methods for shaping osmanthus tree bonsai, and it is also an important means of maintaining the shape. Reasonable pruning measures can not only make the tree shape beautiful, but also improve ventilation and light conditions, reduce pests and diseases, and make the bonsai produce more and denser flowers. Pruning should run through the entire process of making and caring for osmanthus tree bonsai.
Why should osmanthus tree bonsai be pruned?
When pruning, messy crossing branches, overlapping branches, parallel branches and opposite branches should be adjusted, that is, one of them should be cut off or one section should be thinned out. For the remaining branches, nutrients can be concentrated so they grow thick and strong. When the cultivated branch grows to a suitable thickness, intensive pruning is carried out to shorten it and produce second-section branches. When the second-section branch grows to a suitable thickness, it is cut back again. Thereafter, the second, fourth and other sections of branches are all treated in the same way. Generally, two small branches are kept on each section of branch, one long and one short. After years of pruning, the lower part of the branch becomes short, thick and strong, vigorous and powerful, gradually forming the required tree shape.
For pruning the osmanthus tree body, there are measures such as pinching, cutting, thinning and wounding. Pinching means pinching off the growing tip and removing leaves. During the growing period, removing the tender tip at the top of a new shoot is called pinching. Pinching can promote axillary bud growth, produce more branches, inhibit height growth, and help make the bonsai shape beautiful; leaf removal means removing part of the leaves, which can promote the sprouting of new leaves. Cutting means shortening the current year's branches; after shortening, medium and short branches increase and the mother branch thickens. So-called when branches are sparse, cut; when cut, branches become dense, which is beneficial for branch shaping. Thinning means thinning pruning, cutting dense branches from the base, which helps improve ventilation and light conditions and promotes vigorous growth of the remaining branches. Wounding means carving, scoring, girdling, twisting branches, twisting shoots and bending branches on the osmanthus tree branches and trunk. This method can be used for osmanthus tree bonsai grown for flower viewing to promote flowering.
How should osmanthus tree bonsai be pruned during the cultivation period?
The so-called cultivation period refers to the period from after the osmanthus tree bonsai is planted following shaping and pruning to before it is processed into its final form. The length of this period is related to the shaping method. For example, if it is to be processed into a natural large-tree shape, the cultivation period after shaping and pruning will be shorter. If the method of accumulating branches and truncating the trunk is used for shaping, the time will be longer. This is because the branches must undergo multiple prunings before they can take shape, and two prunings must be separated by several months or even a year.
For osmanthus tree bonsai cultivated from tree stumps, after shaping and pruning, the trunk and main branches have already been determined. What needs further processing and pruning are the secondary branches and the finer tertiary branches. The basic points to master when processing and pruning these branches are: a branch should have a certain degree of zigzagging, and each branch should have differences in length so that it appears graceful.
When pruning branches, attention should also be paid to bud points producing branches. According to the requirements of shaping, first, for axillary buds, keep one; second, for alternate buds, decide according to the direction of branch growth; third, for leggy branches with longer internodes, they are generally cut off, and for forked branches, one branch is cut off.
How should osmanthus tree bonsai be pruned during the ornamental period?
Pruning during the ornamental period refers to the pruning carried out after the osmanthus tree bonsai has taken shape, in order to maintain the beautiful form of the shaped osmanthus tree. This kind of pruning is long-term and extensive, and must be done carefully.
For osmanthus tree bonsai grown for flower viewing, intensive pruning should be carried out after the flowers fade, generally leaving only 2 to 3 buds on a branch and shortening the branch. New buds growing from the branches and trunk in spring and summer should be removed in time if they are not needed for shaping. Generally, when a branch grows to 20 cm, and individual branches grow to about 30 cm, the top of the branch should be cut off to control branch length and help flower bud differentiation.
For osmanthus tree bonsai grown for viewing, pruning can be done in all four seasons, but the best pruning period is still spring before budding, because at this time the temperature is not high and sap flow is not fast.