You may recall the hard-pruning I did to Allen’s Crape Myrtle back in February when I also repotted the tree. At that time, I pointed out that there was a branch up near the crown of the tree that had grown so heavy it was as thick as the trunk itself.
I removed the branch completely, noting that the tree would most likely produce a bud right where the branch was removed. This is a pretty reliable bonsai technique you will need sooner or later. As our bonsai mature, it’s not unusual for branches to get as thick as the trunk where they emerge. This is a no-no, of course, as it harms the proportions of the tree and makes the tree less believable. So if you want your bonsai to look right, you’ve got to take action.
So if you compare the photo above with this one, you can see that there are four shoots that have emerged from the trunk near where I chopped off that offending large branch. And one is in the perfect spot for a replacement to Allen’s original branch.
After removing the superfluous shoots, I’m left with just the one I want. It’s still tender, so no wire today, but in another three weeks or so it’ll be time for positioning.
I did a light pruning on the new growth today, but that’s all. The tree is very healthy, and may even bloom this summer.
I’ll post updates on its progress.