International Bonsai 2002/3 DRASTIC PRUNING

Jay

I have a question regarding a feature in this months International Bonsai Magazine. For those of you who subscribe or have access to the magazine the pages in question are 5 through 10. The Title is ' Developing Trident Maple Bonsai By Drastic Pruning'. For those who do not have this publication at your fingertips my question is about the tree used as the example. It is a 4 inch diameter trunk tree starting at 16-20 inches tall. There are three sets of Bar Branches. For the first three years of development the 'Bars' are left to grow and then in this example in the third year they are alternately removed.

The question is, Why do you not remove the Bar problem at an earlier age to reduce the size of the scare? Is the improved growth with the bar branches present worth the scares? Is the thought to see which branches are removed (starting left or right)?

Sorry no scanner and a digital pix will not work.
Your thoughts please!

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

Advertisement

choumi

As it is said in the article, branches are left to thicken the trunk more rapidly.
When yor remove the branches you leave an ugly scar for the moment, but tridents heal scars preaty fast (2-3 years).

GaryS

I have the article. Trunk thickening is the main reason......I think. It really doesn't say in the article, unless I missed something. What's strange is that he prunes the tips of those branches and you would think if he was going for trunk thickening, he'd let them grow.

I'm thinking he leaves them on to get the tree (roots) established faster and then cuts them off.
If you prune those big branches off on a Trident the right way they heal over within 2 or three years and within 5 years you can't even see the scars.
I was amazed when I saw some of Bill Valvanis' Tridents and how good he is at this wound healing. He knows just how much wood to carve out and have that scar heal perfectly flat. He uses the grey clay cut paste.

__________________
GaryS

GaryS

This is one of his trees and he cut some very large branches off it. It was 12 feet high originally and he brought it down to 3 feet.

Attached Images

mbsval_trident01.jpg (68.0 KB, 88 views)

__________________
GaryS

Jay

Thanks Guys! Gary, I agree, it is strange that he cuts them back as he does the ones he will keep. I could only figure that this was a way to keep his options open as to which ones he kept. But then again, what do I know. You're right about Bill's Maples. He has some REAL nice trees!

__________________
A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing