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Old 23-Sep-2001   #6
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Re: Japanese Black Pine

Hi There Soildoc,

There are many ways to reduce needle length. Ripsgreentree is right that most involve cutting the central candle or removing it entirely. Red pines are not as robust as Black, but you can apply many of the same techniques.

One method is discussed on the TreeBay site. It needs some follow up photographs, but the basic strategy is discussed here.

The key with pines is timing. It's a bit late for decandling in most part of the world. You need time for the new candles to harden off before frost, but as Rips says, you can try a sacrificial branch to get the idea.

If you cut through the needles of a black pine, the tips will ooze sap, brown off and look unsightly. It takes a week or so to happen, so some folks will do this right before a show and get away with it, but there are better ways!

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