�@Satsuki and Bonsai in Mack's Garden

Pruning after Flowers

I would like to write the details of pruning satsuki trees and other works, hoping that these descriptions will be useful for you to grow satsuki trees and to know the nature of them.

I have been very busy since the return from England because I could prune only one third of satsuki trees which I had intended to prune before departure from my house for England on June 5th. The satsuki flower season in Ise was more than 10 days later than last year. I had to prune all satsuki trees by July 7th because it is said in Japan that they won't have a lot of flowers next year if we cannot prune them by the day, the special anniversary when Altair and Vega meet crossing the milky way once a year.

I pruned 184 satsuki trees in the nursery in February and March and 10 big trees in the big terracotta in March, potted 9 arakis (including 2 big trees) after pruning and washing them drastically, repotted 16 trees (including 5 big trees), and planted 27 saplings in the small terracotta in March.

I pruned 51 satsuki trees (including 5 big trees) in the flowerpots and put about 20 cuttings into the Kamuna soil in a flowerpot by June 3rd. After my return from England, I finished pruning 103 satsuki trees (including 19 big trees) in the pots, and removing the seeds of 10 big trees pruned in March by the end of June. And I removed the seeds of 9 arakis, 16 trees repotted in March and 27 saplings by July 2nd.

After I pruned a lot of satsuki trees in our little park, using an electric hedge trimmer, Miyoko helped me to sprinkle three kinds of chemicals over the satsuki trees on the shelves and the nursery, and over 87 rose trees in the garden on 2nd.

I prunes 163 satsuki trees (including 6 big trees) in the garden, and gave large ball fertilisers to the trees on the shelves on 3rd and 4th. And I repotted 22 satsuki trees on 5th and 6th, which I had pruned several days before.

Fortunately I found a branch of very small leaves which was coming from the trunk of Nikko five years ago. And I picked up 8 cuttings from the new shoots and inserted them into the fine Kanuma soil three years ago, and planted them in the flowerpots last April. And I repotted 22 saplings of the small leaves which had been inserted into the fine Kanuma soil in the large terracotta three years ago, and potted 5 saplings in the small terracotta on 7th.

And I pruned 48 satsuki trees in the garden of our old house on 8th. After digging up weeds, I gave organic and complex fertilisers to young trees and saplings on 8th, removed the seeds of satsuki trees in the nursery on 9th and 10th, and gave them large ball fertilisers on 11th. And the final work after pruning and repotting satsuki trees was to sprinkle three kinds of chemicals over the satsuki trees on the shelves and in the nursery and the garden, and over 87 rose trees on 12th.

I have 243 satsuki trees in the flowerpots, 184 trees in the nursery, 211 trees in two gardens, and 38 trees in three seedling trays. But almost all trees in small terracotta and seedling trays will be given to our relatives and friends in a few years.

Now I would like to explain the conditions of some trees before and after pruning.

Kinsai before pruning. (The photo was taken on June 23rd.)

This tree didn't have a lot of flowers when I left my house for England on June 5th. But when I returned from her on June 20th, I couldn't enjoyed any beautiful flowers. As we had a lot of rain on 22nd, the flowerpot was too heavy for me to bring it into the garage. Therefore using 2 beer boxes, I built a working table beside the shelf, and put the tree on the turning table on it.

The top of Kinsai after pruning. (The photo was taken on June 23rd.)

Please watch the top of Kinsai. Though it is very difficult to reduce the branches drastically which form the top of tree, it is very important working lest a lot of white roots should come from very close branches. But it is unnecessary to do so if a trees is weak because the top isn't filled with close branches.

Kinsai after pruning. Height = 56 cm, Circumference = 32 cm. Bought in 1998. Repotted in 2009.

At first I always apply the method of rough cutting, using a small electric hedge trimmer. After doing so, I began to prune the tree precisely on 23rd. When a tree is very strong, we have to reduce the number of branches drastically to make it have large and strong flowers next year. If we don't do so, a lot of white roots will come from very close branches in summer and turn brown in autumn. (The photo was taken on June 23rd.)

Kinsai. (The photo was taken on July 13th.)

It is 20 days since I pruned this tree. It is so strong that you can see a lot of new shoots. But the new leaves don't take on deep lustre. As we had had very strong sunshine since my return from England on 20th, I thought it was better for me to spread the black nets over the trees on the shelves so that a lot of new shoots might come easily from every branches. Besides the rainy season ended in Ise on July 7th. Now I decided to open it from the early evening to the early morning after July 20th.

Korin after pruning. Height = 55 cm, Circumference = 33 cm. Bought in 1991. Repotted in 2010.

This tree didn't have a lot of flowers when I left my house for England on June 5th. But on returning from her on June 20th, I couldn't see any beautiful flowers. Therefore I had to prune it drastically on 23rd, which is very strong and rather young. I think it is about 27 years old. (The photo was taken on June 23rd.)

Korin. (The photo was taken on July 13th.)
It is 20 days since I pruned this tree. It is so strong that you can see a lot of new shoots. But the new leaves don't take on deep lustre. And the trees repotted on 5th and 6th don't do, either. But though a lot of young trees and some big trees pruned at the end of June have a lot of new buds, they are still very young. Therefore I haven't opened the black nets over them for a while. Judging from this fact, we can know that all satsuki bonsai need the suitable sunshine according to their growing.

Nyohozan. Height = 59 cm, Circumference = 45 cm. Bought in 1997. Repotted in 2008.
I pruned this tree on the shelf on 29th because the flowerpot was too big and heavy for me to put it on the turning table. The new shoots are smaller than those of above Kinsai and Korin because it is 14 days since I pruned it. Now it is the biggest on the shelves. (The photo was taken on July 13th.)

Sangosai. Height = 43 cm, Width = 70 cm. Dug out in 1972. Repotted in 2009.
It is 40 days since I pruned this tree on June 3rd. But as this tree is a little bit weak, we cannot see very long new shoots over a lot of new shoots. Besides it has a small dying branch, which you cannot see in the photo. (The photo was taken on July 13th.)

Hakurin in the nursery. Height = 59 cm, Circumference = 34 cm. Bought and planted in the nursery in 1992.

This tree was pruned drastically in February. It is very strong. Though the longest new shoot is 28 cm now, it may be more than 35 cm in two months. (The photo was taken on July 13th.)