How to prune potted wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox)? A detailed guide to the correct method
Wintersweet has strong branching ability. Pruning encourages it to sprout more thick, sturdy flower-bearing branches, and only then will it bloom more. Pruning should be done after the flowers fade and before the leaves emerge. This is because pruning too late easily causes the growth of water sprouts, which consume nutrients and water, leading to poor flower bud differentiation and affecting blooming.
The pruning method is to first thin out dead branches, overly dense branches, crossing branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, and water sprouts, then take the current year's branches and leave 2~3 pairs of buds at the base, cutting off the upper part to encourage the growth of side branches. After that, each time the new branches grow 2~3 pairs of leaves, pinch them once to encourage the growth of short, sturdy flower-bearing branches; this will produce more flowers and make the plant's shape well-balanced and graceful. Pruning during the growing season should be done from March to June, and pruning should stop after July.
How to prune potted wintersweet
Wintersweet has strong sprouting ability and many branches, so pruning should be combined with repotting in spring. Leave each branch at a height of 20 cm, cut off the upper part of the branch, and appropriately thin out overly dense and overly small branches. If seeds are not needed after flowering, remove the spent flowers in time to reduce nutrient consumption and promote flower bud formation. In summer, when the new shoots grow to about 10 cm, pinch them to promote sturdy branches and a full, rounded canopy.
How to shape potted wintersweet
Wintersweet has strong growth, sprouts easily, and tolerates pruning, making it suitable for creating stump bonsai.
The common shaping method for the hanging-branch wintersweet is as follows: in early spring, plant an old dog-tooth wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox 'Grandiflorus') with a "knob" on the rhizome into a pot; when planting, make sure part of the "knob" is exposed above the rim of the pot. After planting, cut off all the branches above the plant, then wrap it with thin mud mixed with grass to keep it moist and encourage new branches to sprout. After the new branches grow, keep 4~5 sturdy branches and cut off the rest. In summer, after the new branches have become woody, approach-graft them onto wintersweet. For the approach graft, take a pot of wintersweet that has been bent, choose a good branch and place it above the "knob", then approach-graft the 4~5 branches of the dog-tooth wintersweet separately onto this one wintersweet branch; after they heal, separate them from the mother plant. After the approach graft succeeds, several thin dog-tooth wintersweet branches support one thicker, older wintersweet branch, forming a pot of a uniquely shaped hanging-branch wintersweet stump bonsai.
