Tips for pruning and tying up plum bonsai

Pruning tips

For some woody flowers that bloom before leaves, their flower buds are usually formed in the summer and autumn of the previous year. If they are pruned before they sprout in early spring, the flower branches will be cut off or the flower buds will be knocked off. Therefore, pruning should be done within 1 to 2 weeks after flowering. However, the flowers and trees have begun to grow at this time, and the sap flow is relatively vigorous, so the amount of pruning should not be too large. Plum blossoms are one of these flowers and trees, and it is advisable to prune them within 1 to 2 weeks after the flowers have faded.

The germination and branching abilities of plum leaf buds are strong. Flower branches can be divided into three types according to their length: short, medium and long. The medium branches below 20 cm have the highest flowering rate, and short branches about 2 cm long can also bloom. Long branches over 30 cm have fewer flowers, and only a few flowers are produced at the end. The flower buds of plum blossoms are mostly grown on new branches of the same year. Old plum branches often have hidden buds that grow into short branches that can bloom. The main branches of plum blossoms grow vigorously and are not easy to produce flower buds. Therefore, it is advisable to shorten the long branches to encourage the growth of side short branches in the same year, so that flower buds can be formed in the summer and autumn of the same year.

In addition, cut off useless overgrown branches, weak branches, and diseased and insect-infested branches. Plum blossoms are light-loving plants. When pruning, try to remove branches that overlap or block each other so that they can fully receive light, so that they can have lush leaves and abundant flowers.

Binding Techniques

The new branches of plum blossoms tend to grow naturally upwards. In order to ensure the beautiful shape of the tree, they need to be tied with ropes in time so that they can be bent forward and backward, left and right, or up and down according to people's wishes. The shape of the plum blossom strives to be real and natural, for example, it bends upward, usually with no more than three bends. During pruning, it is best to combine pruning with binding so that the plum blossoms can form an ancient, vigorous and graceful posture as quickly as possible.