• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bonsai Tonight

An educational website about bonsai development

  • Blog
    • How-to Guides
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Bonsai
    • Books
    • Soil
    • Soil (wholesale)
    • Supplies
    • Tools
    • Video Consulting
    • Northern California Bonsai Resources
  • About
    • Workshops

Decandling – where to begin?

July 2, 2013 by Jonas Dupuich

So, what if I’m somewhat new to bonsai and I think I have a tree that could benefit from decandling but I don’t know where to begin? Easy – keep it simple. If you’re having trouble finding a starting point and there are no decandling pros in the area, try the following:

  • Remove all new shoots on June 15
  • Don’t leave stubs
  • Leave no more than 10 pairs of needles per branch

That’s it – for now. By taking a simple approach, you can learn how your tree responds to the decandling and you can begin making adjustments the following year. Is the summer growth too weak? Try feeding more, decandling earlier, or waiting until the tree is healthier before decandling again. Is the summer growth too strong? Try decandling later or removing more needles. Is the summer growth unbalanced? Feel free to experiment with the various techniques for controlling vigor.

Unhappy or completely surprised by the results? Take heart – many pines respond unpredictably to the first few decandlings. Red and black pines often settle into a pattern with 3-5 years.

Black pine

Black pine on display at the 2011 Gomangoku exhibit

Still have questions? Ask away or take part in one of the many active bonsai forums like Bonsai Study Group – experts are standing by now to help! Up next: Decandling aftercare.

Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight

New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit

Filed Under: Bonsai Development Tagged With: Decandling

Previous Post: « Putting it all together – approaches to decandling
Next Post: Decandling aftercare »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Xavier says

    July 2, 2013 at 5:41 am

    Hi Jonas,
    I’ve been following your posts on handling pines with great interest.
    There’s one points that kind of bugging me :
    You wrote : Remove all new shoots on June 15
    Could you translate that in terms of seasons ? Early winter? mid winter? late winter?
    June 15 = mid winter where I live = mid/late summer in some places in Europe.

    When you are writing June 15th what season are you implying ?

    Thanks in advance

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 2, 2013 at 7:54 am

      Hi Xavier – and apologies to the Southern Hemisphere! Decandling happens at some point after spring shoots harden off, typically just ahead of summer solstice or a bit later if you live in a particularly warm climate. See “When to decandle” for details about timing and adjust the calendar for your area. And if anyone in your area has experience decandling pines, see if they have good advice to share.

Footer

Follow Bonsai Tonight

Subscribe

Instagram ● Facebook ● Twitter
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • About

P.O. Box 6560, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-915-2025 · jonas (at) bonsaitonight (dot) com

© Copyright 2009-2025 Bonsai Tonight · All rights reserved · Privacy · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT