How to shape a newly potted plant into a lollipop
To create a lollipop shape, you must decide whether to remove the lower branches and leaves to let a single stem fill out. The initial pruning is difficult because it is unclear exactly how much to trim back from both the branches and the root system during the first session.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Asking online gardening communities for step-by-step guidance.Did this help you?
- 2Joining a local bonsai society to learn growing and trimming techniques from experienced growers.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just purchased and potted this bay tree, I want it to grow into a lollipop shape. Should I prune off the lower branches and then leave the single stem to fill out?”source ↗
“should I remove leaves from the bottom of the stem to?”source ↗
“I’m mainly looking for advice on how to approach the initial pruning. How much should I trim back during the first session, both in terms of the branches and the root systems?”source ↗
Where this came up
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