Help pruning a dwarf Pomegranate with only one leafed branch

suzanned

This is my first bonzai attempt and already i'm hooked . I have a dwarf Pomegranate with only one leafed branch off the trunk. The seller advised that I prune the main trunk to remove the dead branches and then wire the one good branch straight up. I'm standing in my kitchen with pruners in hand but am terrified to do the wrong thing... this little tree is my "baby." Do you agree with the seller's advice?

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Bonsai Barry

I can't see any advantage of cutting off the leafless branch. Are you sure it's dead? If it were mine, I'd let it grow as is and then wait for new branches to grow off the leafy side. One of those branches could become the new trunk, giving you a zig zag look to the trunk, which to me, would be more interesting that a straight trunk.

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Bonsai Barry

"Our talent lies in our choices."

suzanned

Thank you BB for the quick reply. I tend to agree that the straight result of wiring that one branch does not sound quite right to me. I'm searching now for a photo of what the mature tree could look like. I don't envision it as being straight up...

suzanned

I forgot to ans your question, BB. The trunk is brown when I scratch down a bit on the parts with the bare areas. It does look dead to me.

logan3

Ihad a D.P. that did the same thing. I cut the dead branch off an wired the other straight up.I'm letting the lower branches grow out an keeping the upper ones trimed. I figure in a couple of years I'll have the start of a formal or informal upright.

Joanie

Don't cut it too close, just in case. Leave a little stump and then cut it back later. (later, as in a couple of months) If you wire the side branch up, you get a straight trunk, which is what we are trying not to get, usually. Cut the dead stuff off, leaving a little stump, and then let the tree grow for a while. Let it get healthy and strong. Let it pop new buds elsewhere on the trunk. See what happens.

Joanie

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suzanned

Thank you for all the good advice. I'll post a photo once I decide which way to go, but I'm leaning toward the "not straight trunk" proposal...

suzanned

The seller said I should repot it. Do you agree? I've had it since Christmas.

Joanie

I would repot it, if it lived here. A nice fast draining soil, and a bigger pot. A pot with lots of drainage, like a pond basket. They really help with growth. Don't cut the roots, just use a chopstick to poke the soil off of them. You can even use the hose, to wash the soil off. If you aren't familiar with how to repot, there's lots of info here to look through.

Joanie

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