Step Three Detail Pruning & Shaping

Step Three Detail Pruning & Shaping 

Once you have move all the branches into the ap- proximate positions for your final design, trim back the length of branches to establish the overall shape of the tree.  Remember that all bonsai have a triangular shape.  In most cases, the largest and longest branches are located at the bottom.  Branches gradually get thinner and shorter as they approach the apex.
Once you have shortened the branches to the desired length and established a well balanced composi- tion, begin to work on each individual branch.  Remove all green growth which emerges from the bottom of these branches.  (Trees do not grow leaves out of the bottom of a branch) and cut or pinch back foliage on the tops and sides of each branch until they begin to develop a pad like shape.  In the future, as the tree grows and develops you will need to keep these foliage pads pinched back and well formed.  They will become more dense with green growth and add greatly to it’s appearance of age and maturity.
In the case of this particular juniper we have decided to create an area of deadwood using a live branch near the base of the tree.  Many bonsai, particularly those with needles such as juniper and pine, often have deadwood incorporated into their design by the artist.  These dead- wood areas (jin and shari) add to the trees look of old age because they resemble forest ancients which have been broken back by the weight of time and weather. It is not mandatory to have deadwood on a bonsai, but it is often done.
The process is simple.  All the foliage is removed from the branch and then the bark and underlying cam- bium layer are removed exposing the tree’s heart wood.  A sharp knife works best for this process.  It will, of course, kill the branch.  Take care not to remove or damage bark and cambium which feeds the rest of the trunk.  Once this is done you  should carve pruner cuts and shape the deadwood so that it looks very natural and interesting .  In a month or two, when the area has dried out, you may ap- ply a coating of lime sulfur which will help to preserve the deadwood and also give it a whitened, ancient,  weather beaten appearance.  This being done, the basic shaping of our bonsai  is complete and it is ready to be transplanted into a container.

(A single strand of wire is used to wire two branches.  You  must make sure that the wire makes at least one turn around the tree’s trunk before going out the second branch.)

(Above:  The length of each branch on the bonsai is adjusted to make an asymetrical triangle.  At left:  Shoots growing out of the bottom of each branch are removed.)