Preparing red or black pine bonsai for decandling is straightforward – keep trees healthy, give them lots of sunlight, and feed heavily. If the tree is growing in poor soil, repot it in soil that drains well and decandle when the tree begins to grow vigorously. How much should I feed black pine bonsai I […]
Search Results for: decandling
Selecting trees for decandling
While decandling is a great technique for refining red and black pine bonsai, knowing when to decandle is just as important as knowing when not to decandle. When is decandling not appropriate for red and black pine bonsai? When the goal of training is to increase the size of the trunk. Let these trees grow […]
What is decandling?
There is a lot to say about decandling pine bonsai. There are as many approaches to decandling as there are bonsai professionals, and many of these approaches have merit. As we go into this year’s decandling season, I’d like make a few comments on the topic in as straightforward a fashion as possible. My starting […]
Decandling projects
In my ongoing effort to develop interior buds on two of my black pines, I tried decandling them in fall almost two years ago. I decandled them again last year, and to really push these trees, I cut them back heavily after decandling. The result has been very vigorous growth and a number of new […]
Decandling a shohin black pine
The last of my pines to be decandled this year are the smallest of the bunch. Giving these trees less time to recover helps keep summer growth in check and needles short. I removed all but the smallest spring shoots, and then removed extra needles, leaving around 5 pairs on each branch. Shohin black pine […]