There are few plants more intriguing and lovely than a tree in bonsai. I received my first bonsai as a gift, knowing a little about how to care for plants, but certainly not an expert in bonsai. I learned how to water a bonsai and all the little tips and tricks you’d need to ensure the bonsai stayed healthy.

Except trimming the bonsai.

A tree in bonsai is a living thing. Like any living thing, it has a cycle of growth. The thing is, the point of bonsai is to ensure that the growth is such that it simulates the appearance of a full-grown tree in miniature.

How do you do this without killing the plant? For a beautiful plant, you want to ensure that you’re keeping your bonsai healthy. Since it is a tree, if you care for it properly, it can live a long time. Ensuring bonsai longevity includes trimming your bonsai properly.

Don’t be afraid to trim your bonsai plant. Many beginners are afraid they will kill their bonsai tree by trimming it. That’s not the problem. To keep a bonsai healthy and beautiful, you must trim the tree. The important first step is to know where and when to trim the bonsai plant. This depends on what sort of bonsai tree you have. A general rule is to make sure you do not trim a bonsai plant when the sap is rising. A bonsai is a tree and sap rises in it just like any other tree in a forest or orchard. So, never trim your bonsai plant in the spring! If your bonsai plant is a deciduous tree (meaning, it loses its leaves in the autumn), late fall is the ideal time to trim your bonsai plant. If you have an evergreen, trim your bonsai plant in late winter.

Before you trim your bonsai tree, look at it carefully. Are there branches that look ill? Are you looking for a specific shape and effect? Bonsai is a combination of art and science. While you want to trim your bonsai for health and longevity, you want it to be beautiful, too! The first branches to choose when you trim your bonsai tree are certainly any sick or dead branches that seem to be threatening the health of the plant. While a certain amount of “driftwood” effect is fine for an esthetic effect, make sure that it is not interfering with the health of the bonsai plant. If you have been observing your bonsai plant carefully, you will have noticed what branches have been producing good leaves or needles, as well as the ones that seem to have been struggling. It is best for the bonsai longevity to trim struggling branches and allow the next season’s sap to rise into the healthy branches for maximum health.

When you have decided what branches to trim, take your sharp shears and cut the branches cleanly. After you have trimmed away everything you want, make sure to seal the cuts on the bonsai plant with a good tree sealant. If you have a deciduous tree, try a tar-based tree paint. If you have an evergreen, it is better to use grafting wax. You can get both items at any good gardening center.

Next fall or winter, make sure to sharpen your cutting shears and get everything ready so that you can trim your bonsai for the ultimate growth and longevity.