Hi all,

I'm just wondering when is the time for this bonsai to get trimmed and repotted? I've been searching online but I don't think the Redbud is a very common bonsai.
It is quite hard to grow as I'm growing it indoors, but I guess is going well because it's been always inside, I started with seeds.

It grew a lot this summer, but it is too long to be a bonsai so I'm looking forward for the trimming. This came quite well as the trunk started thickening (I know, it was just a thin twig)
I would also like to repot it, as the pot is crap and I've got a better one. I know this pot is the right size for it at the moment so the new one is more or less the same size.

Thanks guys!

There are no general species specific rules in bonsai when it comes to first pruning. It all depends on your vision for the tree.

But bear in mind that we are aiming for a miniature of an big old tree. Proportions is important. This species seems to have very big leafs. In order to make the tree look proportional you need to aim for a very big tree with a very thick trunk. The fastest way to achieve that is to let it grow wild in a big pot. Quite a challenge in a window sill.

I remember your tree, and it's very nice to see you still got it going...
I feel like you're doing the right thing, but the tree species doesn't help you much, because big leafed trees require a thick trunk to achieve proportion, and that require big pots for a few years...

I just found a chinese redbud tree with heavy discount in my local garden center. I quickly read up about it and want to add some information I found.

This is not a common bonsai tree at all. Many seed sellers sell them as bonsai seeds using pictures of azaleas in their webshops.

They flower profusably with small red flowers on bare wood in spring. Which has potential of growing it for a smaller tree for spring display before bud break.

They respond good on heavy pruning after flowering.

It is a decidious temperate tree, hence should not survive winter indoors. If survived I would expect declining health and no flowering.

Roots seems very sensitive to prolonged freezing. Hence may be more suitable for garden tree than bonsai.

I did pick one up. I will dig the pot into a growing bed in my unheated greenhouse in usda zone 7 during winter. Come spring, if survived it will be reduced to fit into my frost free overwintering room next winter.

@tropfrog It is not very common and it is quite hard to find information about it, and when you do is false information from people trying to sell it. But thank you very much for all that information. This bonsai takes a bit longer to lose the leaves as it is indoors, but to be honest is doing quite well for an outdoors tree. It might be because it is very young (3 years) but that might be why it's not flowering as well. And found this as a very good tip " They respond good on heavy pruning after flowering." Good luck with your new Redbud!
@Albas Thanks! The leaves are quite big so I'm pruning the stems quite short after 2 or 3 (Don't know what you call them, buds?), but because of growing indoors and in a window sill, it can't be in a big pot so it doesn't grow that much. I moved it to a bigger pot yesterday, so hopefully it will grow more, and I'm thinking of doing "Defoliation" next year to make it grow more branches.

Thanks a lot for your help guys! Much appreciated.

Defoliating is a task done on mature trees just before putting it up to show. The primary reason is to get the tree to grow new smaller leafs. It is very stressful for the tree and should not be done every year. I have never heard that it will make the tree grow new branches. I would expect quite the opposite since tree needs to prioritize using the last energy on the leafs.

What I mean by respons well to pruning in spring after flowering is that it backbuds well. Backbudding is the first step in growing new branches.

Another good tip. As you can see I'm new in the Bonsai World.
I'll try to learn about Backbudding, because if my bonsai is good at it this might be the way to go and make him stronger.

I also have another one, a Ligustrum, this one a bit bigger. They are very different! I find this one a lot easier

Ok, now we are talking!
Ligustrum is a very good species for Bonsai, and very begginer friendly...

Leaves are quite small on the right variations.
It heals scars very well.
Accepts grafting very well.
It roots very fast and vigorous, so it tolarates very well begginer mistakes on repotting for example. But also, it will demand more repots tru' it's life.
It grows very well, it's easy to wire, to ramificate since it has opposite leaves (a bit easier to build ramification when compared with alternate), also it thicken really fast if given the right treatment and lots of space.

Your ligustrum seems like it's a blank canvas, trunk already has a movement and some thickness, so you can jump this stage and worry about branches locations/positions, and movement.

Since it has a movement on the trunk, in order to being more harmonic, you must give movement to the branches also, but if you have trouble bending more thick branches like the first one, prune it back to that bottom bud and start from there...

You can remove buds growing on the inner curves, and it lacks a second branch on the curve to the right.

Hi Albas,

Wow that was an amazing reply! I had this tree for some time and just kept thickening the trunk.
To be honest I've never liked the little branch that grows from the bottom so I was thinking of cutting it. (Because even if I wire it, where would I move it to?)

My plans with this tree were to remove that branch and grow 3 more, one left, one right, and one up. What do you think about that? The arrows in green.
The roots are really vigorous, and it took most of the pot already, so I'll have to think on re potting it soon.

I've got an issue with the redbud and it is that he still has leaves, it is losing them but reeaaaally slowly, maybe like 5 in the last 2 weeks. I don't have any space outside for it to get chilly and I guess is not good to prune it now?

Design is pretty much an opinion, but there are a few guidelines that can be good for beginners to understand.

One is to grow branches on the out curve of a bend, not in the in curves. Your drawing shows the oposite. If that is a consious decition, it is fine. If not I would recomend you think about it one more time.

Another guideline, at least for information upright trees, is to grow branches more or less horizontal. In your drawing, you show one branch straight up. Again, if it is a consious decition, just go ahead. If it is your idea about replacing the old trunk with a new one for tapering, go ahead. But if none of the two reasons apply, I would recomend to reconsider that as well.

And as allways. Only make big cuts in the appropriate time and only on fully healthy trees.