Occasionally you will find a tree that has multiple trunks, and while these look cool, they can seem a lot more intimidating when it comes to pruning, but really you can treat them in a very similar way to any other tree.
Your thought process should be the same; it just might take a little longer to analyze what is going on as there is more than one trunk to deal with.
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You Prune A Multi Trunk Tree Just Like A Single Trunk Tree
When you actually look at how you deal with a multi trunk tree it is actually pretty much the same as how you deal with a single trunk tree, there are only some very small differences.
When you actually look at the pruning techniques, there is no difference. You can still use the 7 core pruning principles I often talk about. These still apply, it’s just that what you are looking at is more complex.
This complexity really is just the fact that you need to look at all the trunks together and make sure they interact with each other in a way that works well together while going through the pruning principles .
I think that sounds more complicated that it should be, but if we look at some examples it actually really straight forward. If we look at something like crossing branches, we just need to analyse these ever so slightly differently now.
In a single trunk you need to look at the branches and see if anything is crossing, it’s easy to see. With a multi trunk tree you just need to take a slightly longer look. The branch may be absolutely fine in regards to the trunk it is growing from …but how does it interact with the other trunks …perhaps it is crossing a different trunk? and if it is …how does that look? does it work? or does it need to be removed? These are the type of small differences you now need to take into consideration.
Another consideration could be bar branches. Maybe the trunk and branch you are looking at is fine …but again, how does it work with the other trunks, maybe when you step back it may look like there is a bar branch, but then again, maybe the fact it is coming from another trunk makes it look less offensive.
Either way, you just need to take all the trunks into consideration and look at how they all interact with each other. This really is the same as looking at one trunk, just on a slightly wider scale. If you can deal with one trunk, you can deal with many.
You Need To Step Back And Look At The Tree As A Whole
When you are pruning a tree it is important to step back and look at the tree as a whole. This is especially important with a multi trunk tree.
Every branch will be interacting with each other and it is your job to step back and make sure everything is balanced and in harmony on each trunk, and collectively as a whole group of trunks.
It’s really is just the same process as dealing with single trunk, all the same principles apply, it is just slightly more complex as there are more than one trunk.
The Same Applies If You Are Pruning A Forest Planting
A multi trunk tree and forest planting may look very different, but you should treat them both the same way.
The forest is still a “multi trunk” tree, it is just that the trunks are separate trees, but we still have to consider them as one complete planting, which is why we must take the same approach.
We need to make sure every tree interacts with others around it and that there is unison formed across the whole planting.
Of course this can be a little more daunting than a single trunk tree, or even a multi trunk tree, but so long as you step back and take your time, you will be fine.
(You can read more – Why Do You Need To Prune Your Bonsai?)
Conclusion
Hopefully now you can see that pruning a multi trunk bonsai tree is really no different that pruning a single trunk tree.
You just need to go through each branch and apply the 7 principles of pruning, along with looking at how each branch and trunk interacts with each other. So long as you can get that to all be balanced, then you should end up with a well pruned tree that is in the shape you want.
(You can read more about – Can You Prune Your Bonsai Tree Into A Specific Shape?)
Hi, I’m Ian. I have been doing bonsai since 2014. I created this site to spread all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos where I show the progress of my own Bonsai each week or connect with me on social media.
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