The ume bloomed beautifully last month. As the last of the blooms faded, it was time to revisit some old articles and notes about pruning. I’ve always read that ume is pruned heavily after blooming. I’ve also read that buds may not predictably open, so if the branch is pruned back, not leaving a viable bud, it’s not likely you’ll get one that spring. So, in true conservative fashion, I pruned the ume gently. Once the buds swell and leaves begin to emerge, it is safe to prune back to the first or second viable bud. More on that in Part 4.
In full bloom:
After deadheading most of the flowers:
Wire removed:
Lightly pruned:
What’s next? Repotting is done after blooming and before growth begins. With the warm weather we’ve had, I’m surprised it hasn’t started leafing out yet. Pine candles are starting to stretch, and magnolias are blooming all around us. I’m trying to hold off as long as possible in case March comes in like a (frigid) lion. I have several pots I’m debating among. That will be Part 3.
I have been studying bonsai since 1994, in an ever-increasing obsessive fashion. In our last 5 years prior to moving from Iowa to Alabama pursuing a career in the foodservice industry, my bonsai collection was limited to a few varieties that could survive brutal winters outside, or winters under dim light in the dank basement of our humble duplex...my wife puts up with a lot. Including the trailer hitch I put on our brown 1983 Chrysler New Yorker to pull a U-Haul full of trees to Nashville for a 3-month stop along the career path that led us to Alabama. 12 years later, we no longer have the New Yorker; and not a single one of those trees remain on my bench, having given the last holdout to a new club member this summer. I prefer collecting native trees and buying the classical species used in Japan, feeding organic, and reading everything I can get my hands on.
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Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.