As I approached the decandling season this year, I checked my pines to see if any were on the weak side but still strong enough to be decandled. These trees need to be decandled on the early side so the summer growth has time to fill in before fall. Looking around I saw a lot […]
Decandling
Decandling – how late is too late?
Getting the timing right when decandling is as much art as science – or so it can seem. While it can be tough to determine the ideal time to decandle a tree upfront, in hindsight it’s usually pretty clear what went right or wrong (see When to Decandle for details). When the proper time to […]
Decandling a shohin black pine
Every year I wrap-up decandling season by decandling any shohin pines in the garden. By decandling small pines later in the growing season, summer shoots have less time to develop, yielding smaller needles – the desired outcome for small trees. Shohin black pine – before decandling When decandling this tree, I removed a few shoots […]
Decandling a red pine forest
If there’s a single bonsai in my garden that grows quickly, its the red pine forest below. Red pine forest Japanese red pines are very similar to Japanese black pines. The most common differences I notice include thinner needles and slightly reddish colored buds, though sometimes the two varieties can be hard to tell apart. […]
Decandling pines in early stages of development
Decandling young black pines is a treat. It’s during this phase of development that a tree’s basic elements begin to take shape. Sometimes there are clear candidates for the “first branch” or “future apex.” In these cases I’ll often add a little wire to guide these branches into place. Other times I don’t know exactly where […]