Literally, green picking. It refers to the work of trimming of fresh buds that have yet to send out leaves. In general, the work is done in early spring for ”kuromatsu” (Japanese Black Pine), ”akamatsu” (Japanese Red Pine) and ”goyomatsu” (Japanese White Pine) trees. These pine trees sprout one or more new buds, called ”midori,” from the top of a branch yearly. The number of ”midori” buds differs, depending on the tree’s stems. If the buds are left untouched, branches will extend too long and ”kurumaeda” wheel-like branches appear on the tree. (”Kurumaeda refers to branches sprouting from a certain point like spokes of a wheel. It is among ”imieda” unwanted branches in bonsai cultivation.) So growers need to cut unnecessary buds and adjust the number and growth of branches to produce a proper balance for a bonsai tree.

translated by Kyodo News