Spring growth

With a much warmer and very dry spring, it seems like the bonsai are growing stronger this season.

Soon it will be time to cut back that overgrown Beatles hair. It’s important though to let the growth extend freely at the deciduous bonsai to strengthen them. Only trees selected for spring bonsai exhibitions are trimmed from the very start.

That spring growth builds up a lot of energy, and this is sent back to the roots when it matures. So for some trees that need that growth, a large foliage mass is important for a period.

Trees in early training stages I always let grow freely for a longer period. For example, the 100-year-old Hawthorn presented in the last BONSAI ON episode.

The Japanese mountain maple, Acer palmatum, develops very long new growth rapidly, so the scissors will soon be dancing and make a nice haircut on the developed bonsai. Threes in training will wait another month, or not be cut again this season to fatten up branches and/or the trunk.