How To Make Bonsai Tree Leaves Smaller
Bonsai defoliation involves cutting all the leaves of a tree during the summer.
How to make bonsai tree leaves smaller. By removing the larger existing leaf the dormant bud will be stimulated to develop. Make sure that this is free from dust dirt and any oils. This technique should only be used on deciduous trees healthy enough to withstand this demanding technique. However it is sometimes done to plants in training particularly seedlings in the first year or two to get a series of close internodes low on the trunk.
If you want to totally defoliate. They are an eyesore block light become breeding grounds for spider mite pests. Sterilize your cutting scissors in alcohol. If you fertilize it in the spring it will grow like crazy.
This is one of the most common misconceptions in all of bonsai. Carry on with your regimen of watering and cautious sun exposure as your seedling grows. I do not have the patience to wait for years to. Usually around may or june depending on your location the leaves have hardened we can remove them and a second smaller set of leaves.
In doing so you force the tree to grow new leaves leading to a reduction in the size of leaves and an increase in ramification. We are trying to reduce internode length. As your tree grows again usually this process takes years you may gradually introduce it to larger and larger containers to accommodate its growth until it reaches the size that you d like for your bonsai tree. Deciduous trees will sprout two small leaves called cotyledons directly from the seed before developing true leaves and continuing to grow.
Choose an area where defoliation will be done. I hate disproportionately large leaves on my pre bonsai plants. Feeding bonsai to reduce the size of the leaves and the internodes. Dip it in ethyl alcohol just before you use it.
The bud eventually sprouts new leaves. Clean your cutting scissors with soap and water.