Help Pruning Prunus Mume

Ravenna

Hi I am a newbie here (and in Bonsai),

six months ago I got myself a prunus mume which has just finished flowering now. Looking things up in my Bonsai books and in my bonsai magazines it sounded as if you should prune prunus mume quite radically after flowering.

Seeing how many leaf buds are coming right now I suspect that I won't have enough buds to cut back to and am on the contrary worried that some of the branches had flowers but are not showing any leaf buds yet and might die off.

Other thing is that the branches are quite straight so the tree is more of a pre-bonsai than a real bonsai... so here are my questions:

1. Do I have to expect those branches without leaf buds right now to die back or can I hope that the tree will still come up with more growth.

2. Seeing how things look right now I wouldn't prune the tree unless it develops many more buds but ´depending on how it goes do you have any ideas for pruning this year or next? I only have a pic with flowers I fear as I took it with a friends digital camera so it is more difficult to judge but I would still be grateful for suggestions... I would be quite tempted to take away the branch between the two large ones at some stage and possibly the two lowest ones on the left though I feel right those two give it some kind of a balance...

http://www.bonsaicommunity.com/grow...Prunusfront.jpg


Looking forward to your ideas, Ravenna

P.S.: Really sorry, after reading more of the other messages I realized that I shouldn't have posted to this forum at all but to the General one... I am terribly sorry. I tried to remove the mail but that didn't work just lost the pic and couldn't put it back so you just get a link. Once more I am really sorry. I just have a very simple tree not like yours but I would be grateful for any hints you might give anyway...

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TreeBay

Posting in Show & Tell is fine. Post the picture here, too, if you will.

Regards,

Matt

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Ravenna

Hi,

guess I got a bit jumpy when I saw how advanced you all are. But it seems that I am on the right forum after all. So as Matt suggested here is the pic of my tree...

Regards, Ravenna

Attached Images

prunusmini.jpg (66.5 KB, 248 views)

Lesley

Nice Tree Ravenna! Welcome! I'm too new to give you advice but there are many others here to help! This is a great site! You'll make a lot of bonsai friends on it and learn alot if you stick around!

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TreeBay

Post it again when the flowers fall. It's a very nice tree, but very hard to talk about pruning with all the flowers.

The lowest branch could probably***be removed. The second needs to grow a lot to catch up. There is some confusion on the branch coming off on the right. I can't really tell how many branches there are, so you might want to photograph it at a couple of different angles.

***As nice as this tree is, I wouldn't really want to tell you to prune anything without seeing four sides of the tree (without flowers).

Regards,

Matt

Attached Images

prunus_mini.jpg (39.5 KB, 216 views)

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Ravenna

Hi,

thanks for your comments Lesley and Matt. Yes, I realize that it is difficult to judge with all those flowers but I only had my friend's camera while it was flowering. I'll see whether I can get it again.

Just wondered: can you tell me anything about my first question. I am a bit concerned that the little tree though it had so many flowers seems to have hardly any leaf buds. Will the branches without leaf buds die off or can it still develop leaf buds further down?

Oh, glad you both liked my "little one"... I like it too that is why I am a bit nervous, I guess and don't want to ruin it. Actually I have made an appointment now with a bonsai center here. Thought it would be good to get some general advice on it an do the repotting with them as I have only done two bonsai courses so far and we didn't deal with prunus mume there. It is quite far away but friends are taking me there (same ones who lent me their camera). So, if they suggest to prune in there I will at least send you some before/after pics if that should interest you...

Thank you for your help. Ravenna

TreeBay

Yes you should get buds on the thick branches so long as they are green wood and there is at least one node. Recognizing the nodes is a little difficult, but if you think bamboo, you'll be there. If there are no nodes, it may die back a bit and sprout from the base.

Regards,

Matt

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Ravenna

Dear Matt, dear all...

well finally could lend that camera again so I thought I'd show you my prunus after flowering and repotting into a larger pot and see whether you come up with any suggestions for the future...

Regards, Ravenna

Attached Images

prunus front2.jpg (15.8 KB, 127 views)

TreeBay

I would start it on organic fertilizer and pinch or prune back the long straight twigs at the top to 2 or three leaves and let the ones at the bottom develop and grow more.

Are there signs of life on that first major branch on the left? If so, you might remove the sucker beneath it. That branch looks like the weak one.

Regards,

Matt

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