I have collected a few American beech, Fagus grandifolia, in recent years and have enjoyed learning about their growth habits and watching them regain strength. I know the American beech is less ideal for bonsai than its smaller-leafed European cousin, but I am interested to see how bonsai techniques will impact these native trees.
American beech bonsai, collected 2018
With a few days off work around the Thanksgiving holiday, I am doing as much as I can to prepare trees for their winter quarters. Evergreens will be arranged on the ground with mulch around the pots and a little bit of protection from harsh winter winds. My deciduous trees, though, will be packed onto shelves in a winter storage shed, of sorts. I will share more about this enclosure in an upcoming post.
Because the deciduous storage arrangement is rather cramped, I like to remove the old leaves to ensure easier visibility and access to the other trees on the shelf. Removing leaves also results in tidier shelves if the leaves should fall off later. This may or may not happen in the case of the beech trees as they have a rather persistent habit.
To remove the leaves I will generally give each leaf a little wiggle to see if it is ready to come loose, but if it doesn’t come free with a rather light touch, I use scissors to avoid damaging the buds that will be the source of new growth in the spring.
Preparing to cut the leaf stem
With very short petioles, it takes some care to clip the leaves free without accidentally cutting through a fine branch hear or there. And while it may be tempting to reach straight in with the shears (as pictured above) and start snipping away, this may be devastating to the spring growth. Look what is just under the base of that leaf.
Twisting the leaf to reveal the bud
With a twist of the leaf on its stumpy stem, you can see a bud just underneath. Carefully placing the scissors right along side this bud to cut the leaf stem that is often a frustrating 1/8 of an inch can be time consuming and really test you patience.
The remaining bud after removing the leaf
Every one of these is a future branch, so extreme care is important. This is why I like to do this work when I have the extra time. If I had to rush, I’m sure I would make far too many mistakes.
Below is the “after” image of the tree pictured at top, and a before and after of another.
American beech bonsai after leaf removal
American beech bonsai, collected 2017
American beech bonsai after leaf removal
For more on leaf removal, check out this post from about this time last year.
Bonsai Iterate 
Reblogged this on Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog.
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