I generally start pruning my deciduous bonsai as soon as the leaves have fallen off in Autumn. That’s mainly because it is easier to see the structure of the tree when all the leaves are gone. Not all trees drop leaves at the same time so that allows me to spread the work over a few weeks.

This trident group is one of the first to be bare this year.

Lots of growth over the summer. Long shoots that were hidden under the canopy of leaves, many branches have become crowded and some thick branches near the top of some trees.

Shoots with long internodes are eliminated wherever they occur

Crowded branches are thinned out to leave space for future growth.

Here’s the apex of one of the trees in this group. Lots of thick branches growing from the same place so most need to be removed

Long, straight shoots are either shortened or eliminated

After pruning. Branches have been reduced a little and thinned out to allow room for next year’s growth. There are still a few branches near the tops that are slightly thicker than I would like but with nothing to replace them at this stage I’ve left them. Need to monitor those areas next summer to try to encourage some thinner shoots as replacements.