I don't know the answer to this question, but I myself have been wondering how you prune a tree to grow upwards once the leader has been chopped. I'm sure some of the experts here will be able to help :)

Lewis

Al,

Thank you for the highly informative post, your posts are always super helpful and it's clear that you spend lots of time and effort in guiding us learners :)

Lewis

I think I'm the fortunate one in that I look at helping where I can as a natural extension of the nurturing part of growing things - nurturing those who nurture plants. It's just as rewarding to me - maybe more so. Thanks for your kind words.

Al

When you work a tree, you make sure it's in good health and energy reserves are high, then do what needs doing, then let it recover for a year or more. Your tree is at the point where it needs a lot of recovering from the pruning it's very weak. I would let it grow unencumbered by any additional pruning until next June and then assess what needs to be done. Your tree might look healthy to you, but to a more experienced eye it shows it really does need to be allowed to grow and rebuild its reserves. Don't forget that the true measure of growth is the amount of increase in the tree's dry mass - not how much the branches extend. New growth fuels actual growth and the more leaves the tree has the faster it can grow. Skip the pinching for now and enjoy watching it do its thing. You can prune it back to whatever you want it to look like at a later date. You might even fond that your vision for what you want it to be has changed between now and the next pruning session. I know my vision of what I think a bonsai wants to be is often overridden by what the tree decides to do.

Al