It’s that time of year again when autumn starts to fade and winter looms. I say “looms,” but it is a season I thoroughly enjoy! The quiet contemplative moments become more frequent and immersive.

Now is the time you are either building on your decisions made during the past growing season/s or making use of this time period to get back on the path.

Scissors in hand it’s easy to get carried away, removing the last of the leaves hanging on, eying up that silhouette and cutting away.

This is where you really need to take your time, two options presented, prune or don’t prune. It comes down to building a good structure that you can improve upon year after year. Having hierarchy in your branching, movement, health and taper these are some important elements to consider.

The use of sacrificial branching is a key element that accomplishes many goals; thickening; healing; health and ultimately improving hierarchical structure.

3 reasons why you don’t see sacrificial branches commonly used in New Zealand.

1. It doesn’t look ‘nice’.
2. There is a lack of understanding of what it does.
3. An often incorrect notion that a said tree doesn’t require the technique utilised because it is already an old tree that has been a bonsai for a long time.

The great news, you can start one at any time!

It’s not however all about sacrificial branches!

Why do we prune at leaf drop?

At this time of year as the leaves drop we have a window where we can prune the tree and redistribute the tree’s resources in accordance with the pruning decisions made. It results in a more balanced spring flush.

If you are however making significant branch reductions and you have an actual winter with freezing temps, then the cold hardiness of the tree will be diminished and will then need to be protected, such as in a greenhouse.

There are exceptions to pruning at this time of year, which generally evolve around flowering and fruiting trees but we’ll touch on that further on a later blog.

Lastly it’s also a good time to do some wiring, with the leaves removed and the structure exposed you can clearly see the lines of the trunks/ branches.

Winter is a beautiful time to enjoy our deciduous trees!