The Needle, The Branch, and The Tree

Here are close up photo’s of the parts of the Tree that are pruned.  They are specific to my Dragon-Eye Pine Tree, or any Pine-Tree.

A Pine-Tree Branch That has been Pruned Over 2 Years

A Branch, Pruned for 3 Years

So, here is a side branch.  And we can see how things have evolved since I started pruning it.

• 2010 – First, the original branch in 2010 which was not pruned.  I bought the tree from a Nursery which were not utilizing Niwaki.
• 2011 – This was my first pruning job.  I pruned the “needle” down to 1/4 Inch in late spring. That branch was stunted in Size, but still alive.
• 2012 – This pruned branch produced 4 needles in Spring 2012.  Again, I hard pruned these needles to 1/4 Inch.  You can start to see now, how the combined stunted branches are making an interesting shape.
  

  Dragon Eye Pine Tree Branch – 3 Year View

A Regular Branch, UnPruned

So this is my trunk leader, which I do not prune.  Look at the difference, it puts on at least 1 foot of growth a year.  My stunted branches are stopped at 1/4 inch, and stay that length.

Dragon Eye Pine Tree – Leader Branch

Overall Tree Shape

So 3 three years, with some amateurish pruning, already you can see the cloud shapes forming.  I believe in 2 years, I’ll have a tree that exhibits like a Niwaki Tree.

Dragon Eye Pine Tree – Showing Japanese “Cloud” Shape

Dragon Eye Pine-Tree – Showing Japanese “Cloud” Shape – Close up

Reference Material

I swear by this book, as it’s the only book in English that lays out the rules of Japanese Pruning.  It is clear and easy to use.  If I ever find a better reference book, I will post it.

The best book on Niwaki Pruning in English

In 2012, I’m beginning to see the first examples ‘flowers’, from my plantings.  I have to say things are coming along nicely.

My “French Sensation” Lilac, is a plant/tree/bush I definitely have a vested interest in; And I have been eagerly awaiting it’s first flowery output.  This year, we had slight flowering…very little mind you, but enough for me to snap up it’s variegated flowers.  Beautiful!

View at Picasa 13-May-2012 19:55, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D60, 5.6, 55.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 280	View at Picasa 13-May-2012 19:54, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D60, 5.6, 55.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 13-May-2012 19:54, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D60, 5.6, 55.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 250
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What’s interesting, is that in Niwaki pruning, there are general rules for different tree.  Pine Tree’s are no exception and the pruning method is aimed at forcing more pine needles to the tips of the branches, and none in the middle of the branch.  Pine Trees are the original Niwaki trees, as they are native to Japan, and hence the techniques have been mastered over centuries.  Here are the steps:

1. Spring Time: The Pine tree will grow 4 “Candles” at the end of each branch, which will eventually become 4 Branches.  Don’t touch these, let them grow.
2. Late Spring / Early Summer: Hard prune all 4 Candles down to their base.  Leave maybe 1/4 left at the base.  The Japanese recommend using your thumb nail, and first finger.  It does get messy, but makes for cleaner, better cuts.
3. Summer:  Over the summer, these cut candles will grow again, but will grow small, stunted Candles.  That’s what we want…Small stunted Candles.
4. Autumn: Cleanup: Remove 2 of these “Stunted” candles.
   1. Remove all Brown or old needles on the branches.  Leave only the new needles on the tips of the branches.

That’s it, that’s your Pruning system.  YOu do that for a couple of years, and you’ll have a tree, with short stunted branches, that seem to grow “Clouds” of needles.  It’s quite an interesting look.

Maple Branch pruned utilizing principles of Niwaki

Here is an example of a Maple tree pruned utilizing the principles of Niwaki.  Note that the branch seems to be floating.  This illusion stems from the simple method of removing horizontal growth.

This is a great book on this subject.  I read it end to end almost every year.  “Niwaki”

Niwaki: Japanese Pruning

Hardiness: We’ve had -20C (-20F) weather the past 2 years, here in Toronto (Zone 5), and the Rose Bush has survived without any issue.  There is very minimal dieback each spring.  This year, we had a crazy winter, where we hit 25C (80+F) in Feb/March.  The Bush start budding and grew branches before we went back down to 0C weather.  I thought my Louise Odier Bush was dead for sure.  And we definitely had branch dieback, but overall, it did fine.

Editor: Come May, the bush is entering bloom time.  It did fine!

Disease:  I dont have much disease issues with this plant.  It’s in full Sun, but gets several hours of Shade after 6pm daily.  It attracts aphids, but nothing out of control.  It does pick up fungus, but ussually late in the season, and it’s reasonable.  It does not take over the bush.  Overall, I’m very happy with my Louie.  My only complaint is that it is not as fragrant as advertised.  Regardless,incredibly beautiful.

They mention the Louise Odier Rose Bush in this book:

Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection

View at Picasa 12-Jun-2011 19:36, NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D60, 5.6, 55.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200

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Due to their spikey leaves, I find they make a great contrast to round bushes and even colored plants like Russian Sage.

Munawar's Japanese Iris - Front Lawn - Photo taken in Sept 2011

Munawar's Japanese Iris - Sept 2011 - Rock View

Munawar's Japanese Iris - Side View - Sept 2011

Here’s the full Album

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Possibly the most comprehensive, and easily read text on the subject. I was able to pull her Bibliography out, and list out most of the books below:

1. Persian Gardens and Garden Pavilions
2. Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World: The Diffusion of Crops and Farming Techniques, 700-1100 (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

After spending time working on my 2 Japanese Maple trees, and also reading up on pruning Japanese Maple Trees, I realized that there was a glut of serious entries on the subject of pruning these beauties.  Typical blog or articles on the topic typically say, “Let the Japanese maple just grow, and weed out the excessive growth”.  That really does not suffice on pruning this beauty, Unless you really want a simple oval shaped tree.

The Japanese Maple has some unique characteristics, which can make the tree really stand out as a specimen plant, if pruned properly.  My way of thinking was, where better to learn about pruning the Japanese Maple trees, then the Japanese?

With that in mind, I read up on Japanese Niwaki principles, specific to the Maple.  These are my pruning rules for the Acer palmatum, heavily influenced by the book: “Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way” by Jake Hobson.  But the rules have been adjusted for better understanding, and Western Gardening practices.  But also, updated based on my own limited knowledge of pruning my own trees.

Pruning Rules

Glossary of Pruning Terms

1. Horizontal Branch – A branch growing horizontally, or even slightly upwards (to 45 degree).
2. Vertical Branch – A branch growing 45-90 degrees upwards.
3. Epicorm Growth – This is growth stemming from the center of the tree.  It is also called a branching sucker.  These are branches that are attached to the central root system.  They grow very fast, and move straight up.  If left alone, they can take over the tree, but they are unslightly, and off times, discolored.

General Structural Pruning Rules:

1. Prune for a reason.  Don’t cut any branch, unless there is a reason!
2. Prune for beauty / aesthetics – Make the tree fall into the shape you desire.
   1. Don’t allow the tree to decide what shape it will take, you can control the end result, so use that power for a healthier tree.
   2. It is always to the benefit of everyone, to allow the tree to take the shape it prefers.  So prune with that in mind, but do not allow this rule to stop you from cutting where you need to.
   3. There is a difference between pruning for Health (Arborist), and pruning for beauty.  Sometimes both methods have the same goal in mind.
3. Prune for size: Pruning can be used to control tree size.  A well pruned tree, over the years, can slow growth to 1/2 of original growth speed.Very useful in small gardens.
4. Prune for health: Moderate pruning, utilizing basic pruning principles, will always help the tree.

Pruning the Japanese Maple

Trunk Pruning

1. Prune out epicorm growth – They will take over the plant, and can be unsightly.  These branches can be identified by their discoloration, fast growth, and straight vertical growth.
2. Prune out all vertical growth
   1. Identify your trunks (ie – which vertical branches / trunks you wish to use as the foundational trunks for your tree).  For a Japanese Maple 4-5 is ussually enough for a nice branching tree.
   2. Remove all other vertical branches / trunks.
   3. If you don’t wish to prune a vertical branch for various reasons, then understand that this branch will eventually become a major tree trunk.

Primary Branch Training

The focus here is pruning branches that have grown off the main trunk and secondary trunks.  Don’t worry yet about what is happening on the branches.  We’re only looking at the trunk still.

1. The Japanese Maple has a branching habit, but if you want more branches, then “Top” the tree at a 2 bud node (See diagram below).
   1. The tree will then grow a 2 branch head
2. Prune symmetrical branches – The Japanese Maple Tree has a symmetrical branching structure, where 2 buds will grow, directly opposite of each other.
   1. To create a more natural look, prune out one branch/bud from a pair of symmetrical branches.
      1. If you prune out a left branch, then on the next Symmetrical branch, prune out the right branch.  This allows growth to be even on both sides of the trunk.
3. Prune vertical branches – Remove all vertical branches stemming from the trunk.
   1. The Japanese Maple Tree has a habit of producing a horizontal branch, then a vertical branch next.  Keep this in mind when hunting for vertical growth.
      1. Buds all look like they are vertical growth.  So don’t touch buds until after they have grown a little and exposed their growth tendency.
   2. High up on the tree, there will be no Horizontal branches.  This is a misnomer, as 45 degree angled branches, will eventually bend over (with leaf weight) into a horizontal branch.  So the rule of thumb is, lower on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing horizontally.  Higher on the tree, Horizontal branches are growing about 45 degrees upwards.
   3. There may be places, where you can’t remove vertical branches (Or don’t want to).  In those cases, prune the vertical branch down to the lowest acceptable horizontal branch or bud.  The point here is, you are stopping vertical growth, and leaving a horizontal branch, ensuring future growth is moving horizontal only.
   4. When done properly, you will end up with a Japanese Maple Tree that has strong vertical lines in the trunck and secondary trunks, and all branches wil be moving horizontally.  There will be no or few crossed branches stemming from the cross meeting of a vertical branch and the branch above it.  This promotes health via: More air and light inside the tree structure.

Individual Branch Training

Now, Moving from the trunks, work on each branch individually.  Start from the bottom of the tree, and work on each branch individually as you move up.

1. On each branch, remove any vertical leaf or branch.
2. Remove opposing symmetrical branches.  Ensure that as you do this, the branch has even growth.  If you have 5 branches pointing left, you try for 5 pointing to the right (or at least 3-4 pointing to the right).
   1. The only place this is not the case, is symmetrical up/down branches.  In this case, you remove all vertical (upward branches), and leave the down facing branches.
3. Now step back and look at each individual main branch from several feet away.  Look straight on at the branches, then look at the same branch from the side.
   1. Straight on, the branch should be cascading gently downward.  There should not be any vertical protrusions breaking the wave.
      1. If there are, it means you missed vertical growth, and you should prune this vertical growth out.
   2. Same applies from the side-view.  There should be no breaks in the smooth cascade.
   3. A good simile for the branch, is your hand resting on a broom.  All fingers are loosely pointing out horizontally, and cascade downwards near the finger tips.  There are no fingers pointing up or at an angle.  Your Japanese Maple Tree branches should be the same.

End Result

When trained in this way, you will end up with a unique Japanese Maple Tree, which does not look like a big round Maple Tree when mature.  It will be a tree with character: Selective branches, that wind gracefully downward.  There will be portions of trunk exposed due to missing branches, further enhancing it’s beauty.

Compare this to an unpruned Japanese Maple Tree (Acer Palamtum) or a minimally pruned Japanese Maple Tree   At full maturity, it is large, circular, with criss crossed branches.  It’s big and unwieldy, great for bird nests, but not a true specimen tree in your Garden.

Reference Material

I swear by this book, as it’s the only book in English that lays out the rules of Japanese Pruning. It is clear and easy to use. If I ever find a better reference book, I will post it.

The best book on Niwaki Pruning in English

My wife sent this to me, and I readily jumped on it.  A book about nature and being human.  How you HAVE to be in touch, or it can lead to psychological disorders.  It was common 40 years ago for all children to be immersed in nature.  But now, you need to join a club to get out there.  A must read for anyone who has any interest in gardening or the outdoors.

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

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“The technique of niwaki is more about what to do with a tree than the tree itself. While Western gardeners enjoy experimenting with a wide range of different plants, Japanese gardeners experiment through training and shaping a relatively limited set of plants.”

My focus on Niwaki stems from my recognition of the total failure of Western gardening principles in actually pruning a tree to look stunning.  The Western approach (and it is very beautiful in its own straight forward fashion) relies simply on understanding what the Plant wants to do, and then helping it along in this approach.

But the Japanese method seems to be more about creating graceful lines and curves with Trees.  The effect can be stunning in it’s own right.  I’m not one to really enjoy stunting a tree (aka Bonsai), but I have a real belief that heavy pruning and guiding branches will lead to beautiful, sparesly branched trees.

Unfortunatly, there doesn’t seem to be much out there on Niwaki.  THe only book worth mentioning on Amazon is the following:

Niwaki - Japanese Pruning - By Jake Hobson

Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way

You can also find this book on Google Books here:

GOOGLE Books – online version of Book Niwaki – Pruning, Training, and shaping Trees

Embedded Version:

If anyone finds other books on Niwaki – Japanese Gardening and Pruning, please comment below.