vdotson wrote:
Oh my! I obviously misunderstood you.
Yes- Sorry, I did not intend for this quote below to make these sound synonymous:
Personally, I have defoliated [Or hard pruned] healthy ficus...
I meant them as examples of two different processes that can be carried out at practically any time on healthy ficus.
Please explain what hard pruning is and how it differs from defoliation, if you would. Or point me in the direction where I can read up on it.
Thank you in advance.
Ok,
[url=https://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATdefoliating.htm]Defoliation[/url] is exactly that: Removing the foliage.
Hard-Pruning on the other hand [Granted 'Hard' is subjective] refers to pruning [with various degrees of severity] back [One or more] branches.
These do not address only hard pruning and are most likely more than you ever wanted to know about pruning, You were warned.
:
https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/pruning.htm
https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/pruning2.htm
https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/growprin.htm
https://www.forestry.uga.edu/warnell/service/library/index.php3?docID=146&docHistory[]=2
I sometimes think of 'Hard pruning' as 'cutting back into the {hard}wood' This is not an entirely accurate view of it really, But it is more than just a trim.
One example of hard pruning would be when you let the tree [Or single branches] 'bush out'
far past the intended shape [As the unrestricted growth and additional foliage are what increases the girth of the trunk & branches].
After the branches have reached their desired thickness, You then [Hard prune] cut the branches to a point
far inside the eventual silhouette of the trees future design as this leaves room for growth with which you can ramify and refine the secondary and tertiary branches.
LOL, I fit a design tip in there too...
.
IE: From this [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3524]this[/url]thread where I pruned this tree back hard.
Before:
[img]https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/novusordo1/Ficus/Fused%20Trunk%20Ficus/fusedficus1021060001mo6.jpg[/img]
After a hard pruning of the top:
[img]https://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1223/fusedficus102106retaped0009ok0.jpg[/img]
I only pruned the top hard as I am continuing to let the bottom grow out, I continue to fight apical dominance and shade wrt getting the bottom branches to fatten up...To be continued...
Just like trunk chops, You can see examples of this [Or the results of this] everywhere in bonsai.
I hoped this helped, It doesn't feel like much of an explanation really...lol
ynot