How To Prune A Bonsai Tree And The Tools You’ll Need

Bonsai tree tools can be bought individually or in sets. If you wish to purchase a set and have all tools at hand, you will most often have a rake with a spatula, small, medium and large shears, a wire cutter, knob cutter, leaf trimmer and a root brush. It should be noted that when first starting out, you will not need the entire set of tools. A set of gardening scissors, called a secateur, will work well.

You might be wondering why it is necessary to prune a Bonsai tree. There are two reasons for pruning; the first is to trim the roots and the second is to trim the branches and foliage. It is very important to ensure that you are using the right Bonsai tree tools for the job. Taking away branches and foliage that the tree doesnâ€™t really need, it means that the root system of the Bonsai tree does not have to work as hard, or be as large, to support the top of the Bonsai tree. Pruning of the roots of the Bonsai tree goes hand in hand with re-potting your tree. Normally for the first five years of average tree growth, you will need to prune the roots and re-pot once a year, but this may vary with different species of Bonsai trees. Once the tree has been removed from the pot, about one fourth to one third of the new roots are trimmed off.

Once the roots have been trimmed, a new layer of gravel is put into the pot and then soil is lightly packed in around the roots. It is very important to make sure that there are no air pockets left in the soil when doing this. When it comes to pruning the top of the tree, you need to keep in mind the three different reasons for upper Bonsai tree pruning. First, you remove any branches that are not going to fit with the basic Bonsai tree design you have chosen. The second is to balance your tree and direct its growth. When Bonsai tree pruning the growth of the tree takes place in the area that is not pruned as often, and the third is leaf pruning and bud pinching, which are meant to help encourage fine branching. In Bonsai tree pruning, the branches that are most frequently pruned are those that cross, branches that turn back to the trunk and branches that are pointing directly down or growing off of other branches.

Once you have started your Bonsai tree pruning, it does not have to be completed in one day. Take your time. Sit back and look at your tree from an artistic point of view. Donâ€™t be afraid to use some pictures for reference or to get some new ideas. You can easily take anywhere from several days to a few weeks to fully prune the way you want. Once your tree has reached the desired height, you use secateurs to cut off the top of the Bonsai tree. This Bonsai tree pruning makes the tree fuller and also prevents it from growing any taller.

Regardless of what you start out with or what you eventually need, all Bonsai tree tools can be purchased easily from most horticultural stores from your area or online.