How to prune Spruce bonsai in development?

If you allow a bonsai to grow it will just become a big tree. So pruning is needed to develop a plant into bonsai. How to prune a spruce (picea) bonsai? In this video I prune extention growth, dense clusters and remove branches that are superfluous for the tree I am building.

[@stevekoza8881]

Best spruce pruning tutorial I have come across so far. Very informative!!!

[@GrowingBonsai]

Wow, thank you!

[@mchlbk]

Very nice trees, I hope you show us how they develop in the coming years. Spruce do swell a lot in the summer, I hope you managed to remove the wire before it was too late.

[@deepanjanbanerjee3491]

Nice one! The trees look all spruced up!

[@GrowingBonsai]

They are! Hehehe

[@teresagalbreath7452]

You are very easy to follow and enjoyable to listen to and watch! I have only been doing bonsai about a month so I need lots of advice. Thank you

[@GrowingBonsai]

So nice of you, thank you so much!

[@FrostBiteBonsai]

Excellent information again! I soaked it all in for when I start more work on my Spruce. Thanks Jelle!

[@GrowingBonsai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jeffhurst4744]

Another detailed and explained video. We have two Spruce bonsai. One a dwarf Alberta Spruce, and one, I think called, a Mountain Spruce. I learned one additional thing on the pinching aspect in your video. Thanks, it is great to learn more about. 😃

[@GrowingBonsai]

Very cool! Thank you for dropping a few ines! It helps me understand what people like me posting.

[@googleboy7530]

Groetjes Jelle. Thank you so much for your guidance. I will definitely follow them. I am trying out my second picea glauca from intratuin. First attempt was not successful - but I will not give up!

[@BertFlanders]

Mooi werk!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Nice detail work!

[@GrowingBonsai]

Thanks Nigel! I will do more detailed work in Winter.

[@wshow11]

Once again, great info Jelle. Thanks

[@GrowingBonsai]

Glad you like it. Nice to hear from you!

[@laurencebaumgartner7654]

Merci !! vraiment instructif très pédagogique !!

[@joegarland4885]

Hi I have done exactly the same with mine which is twin trunk, most of the pruning was done by pinching back new growth, needed to use the scissors very little, the larger one of yours is coming along well, should be a very nice tree in the future, maybe too many branches, I like the smaller tree better I think. Thank you for your explanation of what you are doing as you do it, very helpful.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Thanks for the tips! I agree, fewer branches in the end. I think that both will need quite some work to give a mature feel

[@Bonsaicrazy]

Great video Jelle the trees look great 👍👍

[@GrowingBonsai]

Thanks 👍

[@tomsbonsaidiary]

Great video. I’m looking to get myself some nice spruce materials, as would love to start to develop my own tree. Can’t find one quite right for bonsai sadly at the moment. 👌

[@GrowingBonsai]

Go for it! But.. Wait for December. The shops will be full of them!

[@rutgerw.]

How convenient, am working on a spruce myself and this will definately help! I probably let it extend and thicken too much already but taking some off, rebalancing and puting all the branches in place should still be good I hope😋

[@GrowingBonsai]

Glad I could help! What did you do with the tree in the end?

[@rutgerw.]

@@GrowingBonsai Thinned the top more and reduced branches making sure to leave some young needles and visible buds on all branches. Some more wiring. Still looking healthy enough... Hope yours thriving!

[@scheers100]

Nice explanation! 👍

[@GrowingBonsai]

Glad it was helpful!

[@oachkatzlsmum]

Hi Jelle, great video! A colleague of me pulled out 20 spruces out of her ground and gave it to me in March this year. Completely bare rooted. 😬 6 of them survived. So it’s to early to do any pruning on them, as they are, so to say kind of yamadori, right? But I can’t wait to see this video next year again, to get inspired. Thanks and Cheers, Martina

[@GrowingBonsai]

Hi Martina, I would indeed give these a year to settle in before anything else is done to them.

[@AndrewFlorkowski-hu3vp]

Brilliant thank you very much.. ❤️🙏☀️x

[@GrowingBonsai]

You are so welcome

[@davinho9996]

Dag Jelle, zelf ben ik nieuw in de bonsaiwereld. Ik vind uw video's heel informatief, dank u wel hiervoor. Nu wou ik graag eens informeren of je bij taxus dezelfde handeling mag uitvoeren? En tot wanneer dit kan/mag uitgevoerd worden? Dank voor uw feedback alvast.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Ik DENK dat je deze video behulpzaam gaat vinden. Taxus kan heel veel hebben. Zelf vind ik dit soort werk net voor het groeiseizoen het meest effectief. Midden in de zomer zou ik een basis vormgeving vermijden omdat de boom nu eigenlijk reserves voor het aanstaande jaar moet opbouwen. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZvKoaKZYrKiadU

[@janspoor3882]

Jelle, Ik heb gehoord en meegemaakt dat elke hsndeling aan een Picea afsterven van takken met zich meebrengt. Kun je mij vertellen hoe jij dat ontwijkt? Misschien is een video over dit onderwerp op z';n plaats? Ik hoor graag!

[@GrowingBonsai]

Hm.. Goede vraag. Ik heb er geen enkel probleem mee gehad, en ben het probleem niet eerder tegen gekomen. Wanneer werk je aan de picea? Misschien op het verkeerde moment? In de winter is wanneer takken ormaal gesproken verbuigen, dus dat is voor mij wel een optimaar moment.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I have got a spruce - just never touched it. Maybe I should start now Jelle?

[@GrowingBonsai]

I think you should invite someone over to help you there :)

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@GrowingBonsai If I could afford to fly you over then you would be my first choice. A drive down to herons, a morning at Greenwoods and then a decent day at The Bonsai retreat with beer and bonsai :)

[@francien5001]

Mooie boompjes, de mijne heeft 't niet gered. Waarschijnlijk had het te maken met de watergift.

[@GrowingBonsai]

Jammer! Ja, leren gieten is altijd lastig.

[@UginUa]

Which spruce is this? Could you advise? I assume you can apply the same technique to any spruce? Thank you! ❤

[@GrowingBonsai]

dwarf alberta spruce I think it is called.

[@UginUa]

thank you@@GrowingBonsai

[@maryweber4176]

Would you prune a Colorado Blue spruce in the same manner?

[@GrowingBonsai]

I do not know the species tbh.

[@aeabdu]

hey i have a question i got a pine from a nursery id say its about 3.5 years old maybe older the problem is its needles are a bit too long do you have any idea how i could shorten them?

[@GrowingBonsai]

This is not a chat-kind-a subject as it depends on species, climate and development stage. As you have a young tree your focus should be on development, and not on short needles. Grow your tree first. That requires long, lucious needles.

[@dwnthk]

Hi there. I just bought a little pine tree, which is about 7 inches. I know nothing about bonsai. Do you have any book recommended for beginner? Thx dude.

[@GrowingBonsai]

TO be honest.. Not sure I do have a recommended book. I have many books here and many have good insights.

[@brucedeacon28]

👍👌👌🙂

[@GrowingBonsai]

❤

[@roundhousetrainspotting]

Hi Jelle, would it be detrimental to the health of a nursery stock juniper to do heavy pruning and shaping in summer?

[@GrowingBonsai]

It depends a little on what you call heavy pruning. I do style trees in summer. But you need to leave a fair amount of healthy foliage.

[@roundhousetrainspotting]

@@GrowingBonsai Thank you very much

[@a.m.graham6120]

Great! Tx

[@tvbyou1995]

what kind of spruce are they?

[@GrowingBonsai]

Hm.. Good question. Not sure to be honest!

[@7Spronge]

Heel koppige boompjes, Bedraad er al eentje 5 jaar op rij, de takken groeien steeds terug omhoog.

[@GrowingBonsai]

absoluut!

[@bonsaikastur]

I'm not that meticulous, i just grab, twist and pull.

[@GrowingBonsai]

🤣 to each their own