AusBonsai

Hi

I'm just starting out with Bonsai, I already Have a Maple. But as I understand its best to work on these trees during their dormant season (winter). I want to work on a plant thoughout the summer/autumn months what species would be best to get for this?


thanks for all your advice in advance

regards,

id say figs would be good for you

Kev if your just doing maintanance and pruning to shape than its fine to work on maples and all decidious trees now, hard pruning , repotting etc should be left till late winter , early spring at bud swell, i removed 70% of foliage on two squamata junipers, styled and repotted at the same time 2-3 weeks ago and there doing fine with alot of regrowth, i was giving them abit of tlc and misting etc after wood. spring may have been better but i tried it anyway. generally speaking with conifers like black, red pine i repot late winter, heavy prune late winter, than do candle pinching etc through spring and summer, mugos i heard summer. ficus all types, bouganvilla and most tropical plants should be hard worked and repotted between late december and now for my climate, as for natives apart from port jackson figs i really cant help.

As noah pints out it depends a bit on what you mean by "work" I'm TRIMMING/ PINCHING all my trees regularly through summer and I've done hard PRUNING on junipers and maples in summer too. The only 'work' I try to avoid during summer is severe rootpruning/ repotting.
In Sydney figs would be a great tree to work with and are best repotted, rootpruned, pruned and defoliated in summer when temps are higher.

thanks for those responses, very helpful info for me guys. So I'm ok to do my pruning on the maple, just not any hard root prunes or repotting? I was also thiking of getting either an elm or fig to learn off as well. My Trident maple is currently in a nursery pot and is about 9 years old. its a bit all over the place so its gonna definitely need some styling =). I'll post a pic when i can

I Trunk Chopped a maple about 1 month ago.
Now back budding profusely and by winter I will be able to select the new leader and wire
Note I have not done any root work or repotting

my already styled maples and Elms, I have been pinching and pruning all summer.
Same to Figs and Bougies after repotting late spring.

Eucs and other natives have been pinching and pruning all summer long

Plenty of "Work" to do not trees thru summer just be careful of which ones you can repot

Ken