birch nursery stock

my friend has a birch tree he wants to bonsai ... some limbs need pruning back to the trunk for shape... no root pruning till spring.. can i shape the tree now so it can sit through winter ???? just limbs where it will leaf out in bonsai form... need to know...thanks take care john

I just picked up a great Betula nigra a month ago from a nursery and I started my research into this species and EVERYTHING I have read said that you are to prune birches AFTER the first flush of leaf growth has hardened off, (late spring early summer) If you prune them at other times of the year they will bleed sap and have die back issues, apparently these guys are real bleeders. So my plan is to let it leaf out then begin my work on it. I'll do the top reduction first, then the roots the next year.
-Jay

JAY,, Thank you for your response... maybe I NEED TO TELL HIM TO WAIT till spring.. thanks take care john

If the tree is pruned now, there is nothing to stop the sap from poring out of the uncalloused wounds as it rises in spring, the tree could possibly exhaust the root reserves and die. I have also read that wound dressing is a joke with these trees when used out of season. It just wont stop the sap flow.

I'd wait. I have only tried birch once. so am no expert. But the Bonsai 4 Me site's species guide notes that late pruning tends to promote branch dieback. I can't imagine that the sap would be running in the fall, though, so "bleeding" won't be a problem.

Speaking of species guides, one of the best, the Bonsai Clubs International species guide seems no longer to be available to non-members, which is kind of a pisser since the list was developed first (back in the 80s and very early 90s) by Sabrina Caine and members of the Internet Bonsai Club for its FAQ when it was still just a mailing list. It was "borrowed" by BCI with some credit to Sabrina.

JIM,, Thank you for your responce.. i will tell him to wait till spring...take care john

JimLewis wrote:I'd wait. I have only tried birch once. so am no expert. But the Bonsai 4 Me site's species guide notes that late pruning tends to promote branch dieback. I can't imagine that the sap would be running in the fall, though, so "bleeding" won't be a problem.

Speaking of species guides, one of the best, the Bonsai Clubs International species guide seems no longer to be available to non-members, which is kind of a pisser since the list was developed first (back in the 80s and very early 90s) by Sabrina Caine and members of the Internet Bonsai Club for its FAQ when it was still just a mailing list. It was "borrowed" by BCI with some credit to Sabrina.

I was concerned with the sap rise in spring through uncalloused cut wounds, i had read that is the main issue with Fall or Winter pruning and that it can lead to severe die back even down the length of the trunk.

I also have noticed that species guide is gone and it was an excellent reference. So we have to join BCI to have access to it?

Thank you Jay,,,like i said,, i will tell him to wait till spring ..thanks for your help. take care john