Please send me some information on how to care for my bonsai. I have owned my indoor tree for about a year now, and I believe that im keeping it alive okay, but I know that trimming is important and I'm not sure how to tackle it.

Thanks.

Carolyn Woods-Jackson.

Trimming your indoor bonsai is relatively simple. To begin with, you need a pair of bonsai scissors and a pair of scissors for the buds. For sealing the pruned ends, appropriate sealants are available commercially.

Although you are free to design your bonsai as you choose, a number of rules do exist which you must be aware of in order to achieve the right affects of balance and symmetry. Without these there could be no bonsai.

For example, the branches which grow on the lower part of the plant and to the front must be cut off. Branches must always grow at the sides and towards the rear. In certain cases, and for aesthetic reasons only, exception can be made in the case of smaller branches which may be sometimes allowed in the upper part of the foliage.

In any event, branches which grow outward at the same height on the tree must be removed, as well as parallel branches. Branches which embrace or cross over the trunk should also be pruned off and even those with a latch-door effect.

Regards,

Dan