Puget Sound Bonsai Association

Day two of Mr. Che's (Zhao Che) workshop with Puget Sound Bonsai Association. Don't miss this evening's demo where Mr. Che will be teaching techniques from the Lingnan School of Penjing.

If you're in the greater Seattle area and are practicing bonsai, join the Puget Sound Bonsai Association where you will get opportunities to learn from bonsai & penjing masters around the world. Check out their website at https://www.pugetsoundbonsai.org/ to learn more.

Spring is here, and that means we’re shifting gears from repotting to keeping up with the fresh new spring growth—especially on our deciduous trees. As bonsai move into refinement, staying on top of pinching is crucial to develop a dense and twiggy canopy. The brief article below from David DeGroot breaks down some practical techniques for managing spring growth on beech.

QUICK SNIP — Spring Work on Beeches

Spring management of new shoots on beeches is similar to that of many other broadleaf trees, maples in particular. The way to avoid long internodes is to pinch the terminal bud before all cells behind it have formed.

The most compact growth on beeches is obtained when the bud is pinched while the tip is green but before the leaves have expanded. This is done by firmly holding the base of the bud with one hand while the green tip is plucked off with the other using a slight twisting motion. Warning – this technique takes practice to achieve consistently pinched shoots. A safer way is to pinch out with tweezers everything beyond the two leaves nearest the base of the bud as the bud has started to open.

Remember that cells elongate after they form, so stopping cell production early is important for achieving the best results.