How to prune and wire a plum blossom bonsai? Detailed technical methods

  Bonsai creation requires a certain level of skill and experience. To shape a bonsai with strong ornamental value, one simply cannot do it without five or six years of cultivation and shaping expertise. The two most critical techniques in bonsai shaping are pruning and wiring.

  Pruning techniques:

  Some early woody flowering plants that bloom before leafing out generally form their flower buds in the summer and autumn of the previous year. If pruned before sprouting in early spring, the flowering branches will be cut off or the flower buds knocked off. Therefore, pruning should be carried out within 1 to 2 weeks after flowering. But at this time the flowering plant has already begun to grow, and the sap flow is relatively vigorous, so the amount of pruning should not be too large. Plum blossom (Prunus mume) is one of this type of flowering plant, and should be pruned within 1 to 2 weeks after the flowers fade.

  The leaf buds of plum blossom have strong sprouting and branching ability. Flowering branches can be divided by length into three types: short, medium and long. Medium branches under 20 cm have the highest flowering rate, and short branches about 2 cm long can also bloom, while long branches over 30 cm have fewer flowers, with only a few borne at the tips. The flower buds of plum blossom are mostly borne on new growth of the current year, and old plum branches often produce latent buds that develop into short branches and can bloom. The main branches of plum blossom grow vigorously and do not easily produce flower buds, so long branches should be cut back to encourage lateral short branches to emerge in the same year, waiting for flower buds to form in the summer and autumn of that year.

  In addition, cut off useless water sprouts, weak slender branches, and diseased or pest-infested branches. Plum blossom is a light-loving plant. While pruning, try to remove branches that overlap or shade each other so that they receive full sunlight; only then will the leaves be lush and the flowers abundant.

  Wiring techniques:

  The new branches of plum blossom tend to grow naturally upward. To ensure a graceful tree shape, they need to be tied with string in time so that they bend forward and backward, left and right, or up and down according to people's wishes. The shaping of plum blossom strives for truth and naturalness; for example, when bending upward, it generally should not exceed three curves. During pruning, it is best to combine pruning with wiring so that the plum blossom quickly forms a beautiful, old and vigorous posture.