Black Pine

So far we have covered techniques for controlling the vigor of summer shoots for an entire bonsai. Today we’ll look at three techniques for controlling vigor branch by branch. One of the greatest benefits of decandling is the ability to weaken strong branches and improve the vigor of weak branches. It is through the successful […]

After many years of decandling red and black pine bonsai, I find I still need to pay close attention as I work. It’s easy to cut too high or too low, cut at an angle, or accidentally cut nearby needles. If you can avoid these cutting mistakes, you’re off to a great start. Making the […]

Depending on our approach, we can decandle all of a tree’s new shoots on a single day or spread out the process over a few weeks (more on that later). This period of time is defined primarily by climate. Climate In general, decandle earlier in cool climates and later in warm climates. The following provides […]

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 […]

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 […]