Hello everyone if you can please offer some clarification/guidance. Im in zone 5 chicago. Via the Mirai app Ryan was talking about the 2 week period post-Leaf Drop for pruning in the fall. To what extent can we prune? Is it “light” pruning or can we take bigger branches as well? Depending on who I talk to I’m told to wait until spring. Their point being that it will not callus over during dormancy. However is that really an issue? Will it not start callousing over in the spring once it warms up? Appreciate any feedback. Thank you
I’m pretty sure the reason for the 2week window is to allow for compartmentalization at the cut sites. Outside that window cuts will experience serious die back. This is why general pruning for shape is really the best practice in fall, heavy pruning leaves wounds open to die back and disease since the tree’s vascular system is working extremely slow and no healing takes place. By the time spring rolls around die back would already be complete, so healing would not start at the cut sites.
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@SCBonsaiGrower SCBonsaiGrower many thanks..
How I understood it: ‘ leaf drop’ actually means the majority of leaves have completed color change (thus, resources have been reabsorbed) leaves come off easily, start to fall. The closer to this point, the bigger the cuts you can make and still compartmentalize. The farther, the smaller.
Watch: leaf drop deciduous pruning, deciduous fall work, japanese maple secondary work
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Many thanks @BanzaiDeshi and also appreciate the video reminders.
I don’t think it is a good idea to do a lot of styling in the fall where you do cut off sizable branches but we customarily trim in the fall to get things into cold storage as I am in a colder zone - more like 3 where we put trees in storage for the winter. I also do some wiring in the fall to put branches back into position as the wiring “takes” in the fall when there is no growth. talking deciduous here. If I am wintering cold - letting them freeze - then I don’t do anything past around September as it is likely to weaken a tree allowed to freeze. those are mainly conifers. It goes for repotting also. If I am forced to repot too late, then I have to winter warmer. be cautious in what you do. don’t ever do to much late in the season.
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Almost everything in this thread is correct based on my understanding the hangup is going to come with out a clear definition of “big cut” …for example a trunk chop could be a “big cut” to one person but register as entirely different action to another person and people end up talking past one another or giving good information inaccurately interpreted. How big, what’s the state of the tree and what species…some big cuts might be better at post garden flush where a full stying is best his time of year.. long term it’s best to learn the trade-offs so you can do your own cost benefit analysis. But that question is along the right path in my exp of learning bonsai
@NEBeech thank you and great points about quantifying a “big” a cut and other possible variables.
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