DIY: How to Trim a Dwarf Yaupon Holly Into a Bonsai
The dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), or yaupon holly, is a densely foliated, evergreen shrub. Its small, elliptical foliage develop into erratically shaped canopies filled with bright-red, ornamental berries during the growing season. The healthy yaupon holly is a tolerant tree that responds well to heavy pruning, full sun to full shade and irregular watering conditions. These characteristics make the yaupon holly a good selection for bonsai. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Place your dwarf yaupon holly on a clean flat surface and carefully inspect it. Remove any dead or ailing branches and stems with sharp, sterile pruning shears. Remove lower branches that appear from soil level to about a third of the way up the tree. Making flush cuts promotes rapid healing.
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Determine the shape you want your yaupon holly to take and make the appropriate cuts. Cut back the unwanted branches first, and then thin the interior branches and stems. Trim the lower branches so the branches are longer than the top branches, such as a customized triangular shape. Handle the yaupon's branches carefully as they are brittle.
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3
Prepare a potting container for the yaupon holly. Select a well-draining potting container with several drainage holes in the bottom. Choose a shallow container with a depth that is about the same depth as the trunk's diameter and a width that is about two-thirds the tree's height. Fill the container about a third of the way with a well-drained, loamy soil and place it aside.
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Remove the yaupon from its original container and gently remove the excess soil from the root system. Trim the yaupon's root bound system with a sterile root hook if necessary. Remove about a third of the mass from the sides and bottom of the system.
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Inspect the roots carefully and gently trim away any dead roots back to the root mass. Trim back wilted roots into its healthy area. Trim the entire root system back no more than a third of the way.
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Place the newly pruned yaupon holly in the prepared container's center and fill the container the rest of the way with the loam. Cover all of the yaupon's roots. Water the newly potted yaupon holly bonsai at soil level with tepid water. Pour the water until the excess runs from the drainage holes. Add additional loam if necessary to replace any settled soils at the surface.
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