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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79255

  • bonsaikris
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Hi guys,
I have just started with 4 Jacaranda Bonsais and 1 older Boxwood. The Jacarandas are growing like crazy! When do I start pruning them, so that they dont just grown in height. See image: i.postimg.cc/ZKZnQXb6/326349986-89962589...38805430025194-n.jpg
Re. Boxwood I pruned it a month ago, but Im a bit worried as it has not continued growth!
Thanks for your help!
Cheers,
Kris

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79262

  • Tropfrog
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We don't prune seedlings at all. We wait to start the bonsai Journey until we have mature trees. All of us buy mature trees to save 10 years. Some grow from seeds for fun.

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79263

  • Ivan Mann
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There is more to answering your question than anyone will feel like typing. There are some beginner videos here on the website that are very good starts to learning. There are websites with lots of information. There is probably a club not too far away where you can get real good information tailored to your climate.

This is a good time of year to start learning because you probably will not actually do anything for a couple of months.

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79267

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Well, somebody somewhere always starts the pruning. I would like to know when that happens.

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79269

  • FrankC
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Well, somebody somewhere always starts the pruning. I would like to know when that happens.

Let me first tell you, I have no clue what to do with your kind of tree, but in general, there are 2 ways to go.
First, let it grow for approx. 10 years and cut back, so you have a heavy stem, but also a large scar wich would take another 10 years to heal.
Or, you can start to prune in the second year, after the first flush of growth. It will take you 20 years or more to have some kind of tree in the direction of a bonsai, but, no ugly scars.

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79271

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Well, somebody somewhere always starts the pruning. I would like to know when that happens.


I would say everyone, everywhere start pruning their trees. At least within the bonsai hobby.

The key word is trees. Your question was about seedlings, they should not be pruned. They should be left to grow into mature trees.

So when to start pruning a tree that have been growing from seed? That depends on species, growing conditions and the final result one have in vision. There are no set rules that works in every occation. But your seedling will need more than 5 years in any case. That is plenty of time to read up on the species, learn how to grow it healthy, watch styling videos, talk to people that grows the species locally and to make a vision for the design of the tree.

But for now, just focus on growing a healthy tree. If you are eager to start pruning, get yourself a mature tree and start pruning. That will get you into the bonsai hobby 5-10 years faster.

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79273

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When to prune new Jacaranda seedlings 1 year 2 months ago #79275

  • Ivan Mann
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Pruning and all the other bonsai techniques are tools to move towards a goal. You have to have a goal before you use the tool to move towards it.

First, formulate your goal, probably goals since you have more than one tree. What do you want in terms of trunk thickness, height, branching, etc.? You might want one mame (that means small), but even for that you probably want the trunk to thicken up first.

Spend some time looking at pictures of bonsais, walking out in the woods seeing big trees, etc. Could you make yours look like one of those? Do you want to? How? Go to a bonsai show. Why did the winners win?

This may take a couple of years, and the trees may benefit from the growing time.
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