Anybody defoliated yet?

[Grant Bowie]

Hi all, A photo of the Port Jackson Fig I defoliated twice in Canberra this season.

It was grown from Tubestock from Noel Summerell and is probably around 20 years old now. It has always been in small pots.

The leaf is quite small now.

Pot made by an australian potter, Roger Hnatiuk

Grant

PJ Fig, grown from Tube stock from Noel Summerell.JPG

[Jamie]

that a lovely fig there grant!

do you have any shots of the tree defoliated? would love to see the ramification


jamie

[Grant Bowie]

Nothing defoliated.

Just this one from last year. It shows a bit of difference anyhow.

Grant

Port Jackson Fig.jpg

[Jamie]

ahh thanks mate, it does show how and where the tree has come from

[Josh7]

Hi guys,
Just joined the site after stumbling across it - lots of very knowledgable people here. I have been keeping/training bonsai's for about 4 years now and haven't done any defoliation. I have read books on how to do it, but just don't have the confidence to go through with it in fear of ruining a years growth etc. Will be something i have to bite the bullet with, as i would love to see smaller foliage to make the appearance of the overall tree more appealing.
Is there a particular time of year for defoliation of Gums, or is anytime o.k (weather permitting) becuase they are evergreens?
Anyway, i'll be sure to catch up with you all in here.

[Grant Bowie]

that a lovely fig there grant!

do you have any shots of the tree defoliated? would love to see the ramification


jamie

Found one,

Taken after the 1st defoliation. November nights are still cool down here so the regrowth is slow to come. Much quicher in january.

I should do a complete rewire and sort out this year. Hasn't been wired for quite a few years.

Grant

After 1st defoliation with new buds coming slowly.JPG

[Grant Bowie]

Hi guys,
Just joined the site after stumbling across it - lots of very knowledgable people here. I have been keeping/training bonsai's for about 4 years now and haven't done any defoliation. I have read books on how to do it, but just don't have the confidence to go through with it in fear of ruining a years growth etc. Will be something i have to bite the bullet with, as i would love to see smaller foliage to make the appearance of the overall tree more appealing.
Is there a particular time of year for defoliation of Gums, or is anytime o.k (weather permitting) becuase they are evergreens?
Anyway, i'll be sure to catch up with you all in here.

Hi Storm and welcome,

If you ask specific questions there are lots of people out there who will have already done it and can answer you.

Grant

[MattA]

Is there a particular time of year for defoliation of Gums, or is anytime o.k (weather permitting) becuase they are evergreens?

Welcome to the forum. I have a few eucs i have been experimenting with. I have found if there is fresh young grwoth on the plant then its ok to defoliate. Generally around late jan - early feb i defoliate all of mine to encourage the new season in. While not true of trees growing in pot culture, most natives go into an annual dormancy over the hottest part of the year, with a lesser dormancy during the coldest(this also varies alot over diff climatic zones). Alot of eucalypts shed old leaves at around this time as well, natures defoliation at work.

[Josh7]

Thanks for your help, guys.

Question: Where do you defoliate gum leaves from? At the base, just above the collar to the trunk? And how old should the foliage be before you do this?
I have a couple of maples that i should be defoliating too, but am unsure of how to do it 'properly'.
Any help would be appreciated.

[hugh grant]

To defoliate on gum trees or any tree you cut above the node, in better saying the tiny 'stalk' that holds the leave needs to be left on, so cut so that there is still part of the stalk that holds the leaf to the branch. As for how old the growth should be, not sure as I havnt ever defoliated a euc before. On my figs though I defoliate all the leaves no matter what age, it might be the same for eucs but Im not 100% sure. I'm going to put up a topic on A ficus rubignosa 'little ruby' that I defoliated and styled today, I'll put it up when I get the chance, so you will be able to See what I mean from that if your still not sure what I'm meaning.

Hugh

[MattA]

Question: Where do you defoliate gum leaves from? At the base, just above the collar to the trunk? And how old should the foliage be before you do this?

As Hugh has stated, you cut thru the stem of the leaf leaving a stub (this will fall off in a week or 2). As to how old the foliage should be, mature is the only way i can answer that. Defoliation is not something you do with young plants still being grown on or that are weakened due to any cause. It is used to help reduce the foliage size on a mature bonsai and increase ramification.
I only do it to my gums once a year, late summer, this is also when i repot them and do most work with them. But i dont have any that are nearing maturity & will be a few more years yet before they get there. Its more than likely they will handle it more often. You have to realise that defoliating weakens a tree hence the reduction in foliage size, if you time it wrong the foliage can often come back as big or bigger than before. Or it can kill a tree that is already weak. Books and others advice can help with that but ultimately it comes down to experience & you will only get that with time & practice & the odd death, dismemberment, permanent impairment. Dont look on the last bit as negative, its all part of the addiction to bonsai.

Matt

[Josh7]

Thanks for your advice guys. Will be tryinig this out over the coming months on a few trees.

Josh

[Grant Bowie]

Hi all,

Here in Canberra it is starting to warm up and i have just put my figs outside after all winter inside since about late April.
One, a tree from the national collection, continued to grow inside all winter and now it is in need of a trim.

However I will just let it harden off outside for a few weeks and then defoliate. I need to watch over the next couple of weeks in case there is a very low temp or chance of frost here but by mid october it should be OK. If need be it can come back inside.Night time temps will not be consistently over 10 degrees let alone 16 degrees till late December so I cannot afford to wait for that old fashioned magic number.

This will be the first defoliation for the season and only the first of many planned this year.

Grant

[Jamie]

hi mate

I havent defoliated any of my trees yet, it will happen very soon though, the figs are pushing new growth hard, I am leaving it a fair bit longer this year as I want to develop the tree a lot more in branch length, another inch or two in width will be good, I have grown the lowest branches to have tapper so thats a plus

love to see some trees when they are defoliated mate!

Jamie

[Mitchell]

"Here in Canberra it is starting to warm up"



It's like mid summer in Sydney! Sorry, had to do it, though I do envy your climate also.

When you mentioned a few months ago you were still defoliating figs, I decided to follow suit and did all of mine. Now I have a flourish of new growth and can barely get near some of my 4 inch cuttings planted out in ground.