Prunning a Lugustrum Privet Bonsai (Chinese Privet)

Hey guys. You've been really helpful identifying my bonsai and giving me advices on how to keep it healthy. bonsaisr advised me to prune my bonsai. I don't know how to do that so I'm gonna turn to you, forum, to help me out on this one. Below you have 4 pictures of my bonsai, each rotated 90 degrees clockwise. I hope I'm not much of a bother. Thanks again!
Please excuse the messy background. I was in a hurry when I took this pictures.

There are too many leaves to see the branch placement.. i would go to the inside of the limbs and take off a pair of leaves,look where your branches are. the bottom smalllimbs can be taken off.if you use the first picture as a front the curled limb should come off.do this then post another picture so we can see the limb structure ok??? hope this helps john

I suspect picture 3 will be your best front.

For now, I'd simply go in and cut all branches down to 2 or 3 pairs of leaves. That won't hurt your tree and you will be able to see its branches and trunk line a bit better. I suspect most of the branches are arrow straight (that's what these plants do) so when they start re-sprouting, you will want to choose buds going off in a different direction and rub off the others so you can get a zig-zag pattern to your branches.

Wiring these can be a problem as they have an amazing memory and tend to spring back to their original shape even after wires have been on too long and are cutting into the bark. So clip-and-grow is probably the best way to go.

After you have done the first trimming (down to 2-3 pairs of leaves) you can take more pictures. We'll be able to see the shape of the trunk and branches then and can possibly suggest more.

(And taking more time with the pictures -- plain background, etc. -- will let those who can do decent virtuals have a try at it.)

Thanks for your answer! I'll try to cut it although I'm a little afraid I'll hurt the tree. I've never cut a plant before and have no idea how to do it without damaging it.

Hi Alex, bonsai is all about cutting thats how we develop them. Cut and grow is the name of the game.
Craig

craigw wrote:Hi Alex, bonsai is all about cutting thats how we develop them. Cut and grow is the name of the game.
Craig

Hehe. Thanks. So it's not a problem if I mess some cuts. Thanks.

Cut and grow is the name of the game.

Well, it's one of the names of the game. We do use wire.

Hi Alex, You have been given a great plant for beginners. Privet is very forgiving and very strong growing so any mistakes you make will soon be rectified.
Jim is correct there are a host of training tools/techniques, but it seems to me the biggest hurdle for people just starting out is pruning and you need to get over that very quickly.
Craig

Thanks for your help
I think growing bonsai it's going to become my favorite hobby. I won't be able to grow more though because I don't have enough space in my apartment. I'll take good care of this one though

watch out Alex its highly addictive.
Craig

Hey. I cut some lower branches on my bonsai and trimmed some of the upper ones. Here are some updated pictures of it.








Is it ok to leave it like that until spring? Should I prune it more to give it a better shape? Thanks again for your advice.

@craigw: ) I'll keep that in mind.

I am not an expert, but I am fairly sure that is not a Ligustrum. The bark is the wrong color.
Does it have sticky white sap?
Iris

I have the same species that was imported from China and sold to us as a Privet. The tree we have came from Miami Tropical Bonsai and purchased by my wife at the suggestion of Jim Smith. It does NOT have Ficus like sap.
I am not sure how it will take to apartment living in Romania

You have a start on pruning but you need to remove all but one branch at each location. When removing the branched remember that the largest branch should be the lowest, so as you go up the tree don't always keep the largest branch.

This tree is very strong and I leave it out in the Florida winter, but we don't get as cold as I suspect Romania does.

Also I think I would go with a larger pot, at least for training.

I STILL can,t see the branch placement..maybe my eyes are getting worse.. i have not heard of a privet kept inside before..the trunk looks good to me and it looks healthy..I agree the pot is too small for now too much roots above the top of it.. i think JIM picked the right front fo it.wish i could see the branches..good luck john

OK, I looked some more. This is apparently Japanese privet, Ligustrum japonicum. It is used for hedges in the South. Alex is not growing it indoors. It is on his balcony.
Alex, this species is not as hardy as Chinese privet. You will probably have to keep it indoors in the winter, but keep it very cool. It is not a tropical.
Iris

Hey!
First of all thanks for your help. I was worried too that the pot is too small. Should I prune the roots when I change the pot? Also, is it the right time to repot it? In Romania there's 1 month left until autumn.
I'll cut some more branches although I'm still afraid I'll kill it.
Happy gardening until next time!

Alexb . . . You mentioned you "don't have enough room in your apartment" for more bonsai . . .

You aren't keeping this indoors, are you? This is NOT a good indoor plant. While it may survive for a while, Privet MUST live outside to thrive.

I keep it in my balcony. Although it's a closed balcony, during the day the windows are always open so I think it gets enough air and light.