Decandling shohin black pine is similar to decandling larger black pine bonsai with one key difference – it’s done later in the season. Just by a few weeks. By giving summer shoots less time to develop, we prevent them from growing too large. As is often the case in bonsai, proportion is far more important […]
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Cork bark Japanese black pine – finding the front
Finding the front of a bonsai is a great exercise – one of my favorites. Both existing bonsai and newly collected trees make good candidates. The cork bark black pine I’ve been working on for the past 6 years has had the same front for very likely most, if not all, of its life. Here […]
Decandling cork bark Japanese black pine
Decandling cork bark Japanese black pines is very similar to decandling the non-cork bark trees. The main difference is that cork bark pines are usually less vigorous. A general rule of thumb is to decandle them every other year, ideally showing them in the years after which they’ve been decandled. I decandled this tree for […]
Why decandle?
There are many techniques for developing Japanese black pine bonsai: pinching, plucking, and pruning among them. All are necessary, but none do the work of decandling. I’m surprised each year at how well decandling balances vigor, improves ramification, and reduces needle size. I began caring for a cork bark Japanese black pine in 2004. After […]
Decandling secrets revealed!
Remove the new growth from your pine bonsai and you’ve decandled the tree. Within a month or two, new shoots like these will appear: Summer growth – Japanese black pine Easy enough. Place another pine on the turntable, pick up the scissors, and get started. How to make that first cut? I typically consider the following: […]