Wintersweet bonsai pruning techniques: master these few points and you are all set

  Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) is a flower that blooms in winter and symbolizes resilience and perseverance. Its flowers are small but numerous, with a fragrant scent that fills the air. Nowadays many people also grow wintersweet as potted plants at home. Wintersweet has strong branching ability, and there is a saying that "wintersweet never lacks branches." Pruning at the right time encourages more strong flowering branches to grow, resulting in more blooms.

  The wintersweet you commonly see is generally fairly large, and those planted in the ground outdoors do not necessarily need pruning. But potted wintersweet kept indoors still needs regular shaping. Wintersweet has strong branching ability, and there is a saying that "wintersweet never lacks branches." Pruning at the right time can make wintersweet grow more strong branches and produce more flowers.

  It is generally best to prune at the right time after the flowers fade but before leaves emerge, cutting out dead branches, overly dense branches, crossing branches, and diseased or pest-infested branches, and leaving 2 to 3 pairs of buds at the base of one-year-old branches while cutting off the upper portion to encourage branching. Once new branches have grown 2 to 3 pairs of leaves, pinch off the growing tips to encourage short, sturdy flowering branches and give the plant a balanced, graceful shape.

  To keep wintersweet full of branches and flowers year after year, pruning and bud pinching are extremely important. Pruning is generally done between March and June, and stops after July-August. After flowering each year, the old flowering branches should be cut short right away, leaving only 15-20 cm at most on each branch. If not pruned at the right time, many water sprouts will grow, consuming nutrients, so that few flower buds differentiate and flowering is affected.

  After new branches grow 2 to 3 pairs of buds, pinch off the terminal bud. Soon side branches will grow; after they reach 10 cm, pinch the buds again. Repeat this several times until the flower buds have basically formed. Also thin out all kinds of crossing branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches, water sprouts, and overly dense or weak branches that affect the tree's appearance.

  There is a saying among flower growers that "wintersweet never lacks branches," so wintersweet can be heavily pruned.