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Defoliation to get smaller leaves 6 years 10 months ago #32439

  • sarisusi
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Hello my first time on here. Please can you advise me about my crab apple bonsai. It has finished flowering and I would really like to try and get smaller leaves. Is this possible? What is the best way. I have read about various methods - reducing feeding, keeping the roots pruned and defoliation. If I take the leaves off should I do all of them at once? I will then perhaps loose all the fruit. All very worrying!!!

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Defoliation to get smaller leaves 6 years 10 months ago #32443

  • leatherback
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I woudl say it depends a littlf on the stage of development of your plant. If you have a mature tree, you could consider defoliation. And yes, for leave size reduction you take all. THat being said.. If you want to grow fruit, you need all the energy you can get.

Best way to reduce leaves is increased ramnification, and age. Overtime a tree will reduce leaf size if grown in a small container. So I would just let it be. In some 10 years the foliage will be smaller.

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