This article is meant to display a before and after to show the the effects of my recent pruning work on this Hawthorn tree.

This work was done on March 4, 2020, when the tree was in its last few weeks of dormancy. The buds were starting to swell.

The primary goal of pruning the tree at this stage is mainly to remove any dead limbs. Also by removing problematic branches that cross over other branches, and by tearing off buds that will form problematic branches, it causes the tree to backbud.

Backbudding is great because it provides more options for choice branches to appear where I might want some, and it also causes all new leaves and branches to become smaller (which looks great on a bonsai tree).

Since I had almost completely forgotten about these photos I collected, and I'm having a difficult time recognizing where the tree was pruned, I'm going to present this as a before and after of the front and back of the tree.

Front: Before

Mostly the heavily forked branches were reduced down to two branchlets from each junction. Very few changes to the overall shape and design of the tree were made.

Front: After

Although if I wanted to make any major changes to the tree, this would have been an ideal time of year to make larger cuts into the wood.

Future options might be to remove the coarse top branches. This tree will have better taper when the trunk thickens up, and the top crown of the tree should have thinner clusters of tiny branches.

Back: Before

Back: After

From this side I think it is easier to view branches that were shortened in length. Also known as heading cut, this is another way to encourage backbudding and to show tapering from wide to narrow along the tree branch.

A good heading cut is done as far back as the last 2 buds on a branch. The actual cut mark is done as close to a bud as possible so that when the new branch grows there, it appears as a new growth extension from the tip of the branch. Nobody would ever know the tree was pruned there.

Historical Information

ID: 0012
Nickname: Candi
Type: Hawthorn
Age: 7.5 years
Grown: yamadori (collected from my own yard)
Last repotting: 2016?
Wired: never

In my next article coming up tomorrow, I will be showing the detailed process of re-potting this tree. After four years of being left in this pot, I made an incredible discovery you won't want to miss.

Conclusion

Thank you for viewing my original works. This marks my first official post on the Hive blockchain.

The old steemit site looks like it has caught the Coronavirus now that everyone has distanced themselves from the plague that has spread there. Over here we brought all the royal honey and busy bees to keep the colony safe and prosperous for many years to come.

I look forward to interacting here by sharing photos of my bonsai tree collection, my garden, recipe demonstrations, original writing, random talents and hobbies, and any life-learning tidbits I come across.

Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth, unless stated otherwise.