Originally Posted by Vonsgardens

Kong,
If you pull the needles correctly, you will not remove the buds. That is you pull them in the direction they point. If you get them (your JBP) in your rapidly draining yet moisture retentive soil, water and fertilize them in to strong growth and start needle pulling.

I didn't invent it. Mitsuya, Kamiya, Suzuki, etc, etc, etc, did. I have just been taught this way by Boon (who is I believe the best Black Pine Bonsai person in the US), have used it and am passing it on. By removing the candles and blocking the dominant growth hormonal signal to the branch, you stimulate both needle and adventitious buds to activate. The adventitious buds are the ones that get you good growth back towards the interior of the tree. We remove the needles to reduce shading in the tree and to reduce the amount of food produced to feed bud and needle growth. Thus, needle work is stressful on the tree. But, it is stress being applied to a strong and rapidly growing tree- not a weak, fertilizer and water deprived tree.



Hope it helps.
John