Methods and Techniques for Pruning and Shaping Goji Berry Bonsai

  The goji berry stump bonsai has an elegant posture, with drooping branches and purple flowers, and in autumn red berries cover the branches, giving an excellent ornamental effect. If leaf picking is carried out once in early summer, it can produce fresh emerald-green new leaves for better viewing. Pick the leaves once more in early autumn so that flower buds and leaf buds emerge at the same time; in this way, by late autumn you can enjoy the ornamental effect of red berries and new leaves setting each other off.

  Before planting goji berry bonsai, shaping and pruning can be carried out once, and overly long roots should be cut short. The main trunk and branches of goji berry can be appropriately trained with wire and pruned. Large branches are best trained with wire and pruned in winter; small branches can be trained with wire in summer and autumn, mainly using palm fiber for wrapping. At the same time, diseased branches and dense branches should be cut off, and suckers removed promptly to maintain a certain tree shape. Major pruning and shaping are carried out every winter and spring. When making old-stump goji berry bonsai, it is generally best to create a curved-trunk style or a cascade style, while small branches are best trained to droop; for exposed-root styling, a bridge style can be made.

  In the practical production of goji berry cultivation, there is a relatively good pruning method —— the “three-main-branch open-center shape”. Its advantages are:

  1. The canopy takes shape quickly and bears fruit early;

  2. Good ventilation and light penetration, many fruiting branches, and a high fruit-setting rate;

  3. The internal structural relationships are simple, and the method is easy to master.

  Using this pruning method, a single superior plant produced 5 jin and a half of dried fruit by the age of six years. This pruning method is briefly introduced below.

  I. Shaping requirements

  The first step: in the first year after planting, cut the top to set the trunk, with the trunk-setting height at 50 cm.

  The second step: within the range of 30 and 50 cm above the ground on the trunk, select and keep three vigorous side branches to cultivate as the three main branches. When the selected main branches have grown to a certain length, cut them off at a point 30 cm from the trunk (hereafter called short pruning). The three main branches should be evenly distributed in three directions and staggered vertically. If it is difficult to select suitable main branches in the first year, selection and retention can continue in the second year.

  The third step: separately handle the new shoots that sprout after short pruning of the main branches:

  1. Of the several vigorous shoots near the pruning cut, keep only one as the extension shoot of the main branch and cut away the others;

  2. Keep the moderate branches in the middle and lower parts (horizontal, drooping, and oblique ones) so that they develop into fruiting branches. Thereafter, each year cut the extension part of the main branch at 30 cm, and select and retain fruiting branches according to the above method.

  This tree shape, summed up, is three main branches with three “heads”, one branch bearing a string of fruit, with fruiting branches growing on the main branches, and the interior open for ventilation and light penetration.

  II. Pruning time

  Spring pruning is carried out after mid-April, with the main tasks being:

  1. Cut off thorns and dead tips;

  2. Tidy the fruiting branches, cutting off horizontal branches, crossing branches, densely growing branches, and aged or pest- and disease-damaged branches, while retaining the remaining fruiting branches.

  Summer pruning is carried out twice, the first in June and the second in July. During summer pruning, vigorous water sprouts should be handled according to the situation: those used to fill gaps in the canopy and to extend the main branch “heads” should be retained, while all others should be cut off. For ordinary newly sprouted shoots, follow the principle of removing upright ones and keeping horizontal ones, because upright branches grow excessively, do not flower, and do not bear fruit, so they must be removed; horizontal branches grow moderately and mostly transform into fruiting branches, so they should be retained as much as possible.

  In autumn, prune once in September, mainly short-pruning the “heads” of the extension branches to prevent them from being split by wind or broken by rain after autumn.

  Throughout the entire pruning process, attention should be paid to:

  1. Maintain one head per main branch; if too many heads are retained, they will advance side by side, making the canopy top-heavy and causing branches to split and break.

  2. As the fruit load increases, the burden on the main branches becomes heavier, and the angle of the main branches may open too wide; this can be corrected by the method of retaining inward buds.

  Each year, branches emerging from the root crown, trunk, and main branches that can be retained for the tree must have excessive water sprouts removed as early as possible, and water sprouts within the canopy must also be cleared early to ensure the interior remains open, the three main branches do not shade each other, and sufficient light is obtained to ensure abundant fruiting.

  In addition, goji berry has a strong branching ability and new branches grow vigorously. Each year before sprouting in early spring, old branches should be cut off; in summer, water sprouts should be cut off; and in autumn, old branches and pest- and disease-damaged branches should be cut off. Pruning can reduce pests and diseases, enhance ventilation and light penetration, and lower nutrient consumption. For newly planted goji berry seedlings, remove the top when the trunk reaches 60 cm in height and select and retain 3 to 5 side branches. In the second year, cut the selected 3 to 5 side branches back to 30 cm to form the first layer of the canopy. In subsequent years, cultivate them year by year to form a three-layer “floor-upon-floor” canopy and increase the fruit load. If making bonsai, before sprouting in the second spring, cut strong goji berry branches into cuttings for propagation, and the following year they can bloom and bear fruit.

  Using goji berry for bonsai has many advantages:

  1. Not only is the tree shape graceful, but the flowers, fruit, roots, stems, branches, and leaves all have relatively good ornamental value.

  2. It propagates easily and can be very conveniently propagated by division, layering, cuttings, or sowing seeds.

  3. Goji berry grows quickly and takes shape easily, and its styling is simple, making it a rare and excellent tree species for making small bonsai.

  4. The fruit shape is attractive, and the color is bright like red rubies, with an exceptionally long fruit-viewing period.