Fall is a good time to work on white pine. The spring growth has hardened off, and the old needles are beginning to turn brown.
White pine in need of clean up
As the specimen pictured above was in need of a clean-up, I removed the old needles and lightly thinned branches in the strongest areas. I also took the opportunity to work on some of the deadwood. A couple of branches had died long ago but the bark had stayed put. To heighten the contrast between live and dead branches, I removed the bark from the dead branches, revealing yellowish brown wood beneath. I’ll let the newly exposed wood dry for the time being and will lime sulfur these areas in winter.
Before removing bark
After
Before cleaning jin
After
Before removing bark
After
White pine – after deadwood clean-up
If time permits, I’ll also wire the tree this winter. For a peek at what the tree looked like last year, see Daisaku Nomoto workshop.
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Maria says
Is there anything else to do with the white pine at this time of year besides removing old brown needles? Any pulling of needles at this time of year?
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Maria – yes. I also removed needles that grew last year, leaving only this year’s needles.
backcountrydan says
It’s coming along nicely!
Chris says
Question on the deadwood. Would a person typically see this much deadwood on a white pine? I know with junipers you do but was wondering about pines. Looks great either way.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Chris – good question. While deadwood on white pine is more common than deadwood on black pine, it is not as common as it is on juniper.