Proper way to pluck JBP needles?

froufrou

From most sources, it says to pull it straight out with tweezers.

Came across the pine article on The Knowledge of Bonsai and it is a little confusing.

First says
Then later it says
Which way is safer?

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Mcspeed

Snip it with shears at the top of the sheath that envelopes the needles.

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Vonsgardens

You don't cut JBP needles, you pull them out using tweezers. Grasp the sheath and pull in the direction the needles are growing. Other pines such as JWP and Ponderosa have their needles cut with sharp shears/scissors.

John

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Crowned_One

My method and it is a painstaking task is to take each needle(not both in the sheath) and I twist it in between my index finger and thumb while gently pulling. For me, this ensures the whole needle is removed and the dormant bud is not. I spent a very, very long night doing this technique on Pinezilla and I had good results.

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froufrou

So the sheath goes too? I thought the sheath should be left on.

Vonsgardens

Take the sheath. Really. The buds you want are adventitious buds which will pop independent of the needle buds. Plus the sheaths dry up and look ugly. I used to cut needles, my trees were always inconsistent on needle length. Working with Boon, I have become convinced that pulling is orders of magnitude better- pull both needles at the same time, don't twist, grasp firmly and pull the same direction as the needle is growing.

I'll revive the Yard Pine thread to show how it works. John

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f15/jap...pine-18042.html

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bonsaikc

One absolute key here is that the technique for Japanese black pine is not the same as for Ponderosa, Japanese white, or many other pines. You also don't say what stage your tree is in, and what state of health. All these things must inform the process for each individual tree.

The insistence that the sheath be left on is the mistaken idea that budding back only occurs at needle fascicles on Japanese black pines. Yes, there is a dormant bud there. But there are also adventitious buds throughout the length of your branch. Proper technique will force some of these to grow.

For a branch that is one this year's, when you have let the candle extend for a new branch, just pull out all the needles from the bottom of the branch, and the needles on the upper left and upper right. Leave a "mohawk" and "sideburns" down the length of the branch. You'll have more buds to choose from.

Here are a couple of diagrams to show what I mean, seen looking end-on at the tip of the candle.

Attached Images

	jbp young branch full.JPG (31.5 KB, 11 views)
	jbp young branch plucked.JPG (15.3 KB, 12 views)

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Kansas City Area Workshops 2008

froufrou

Thanks everybody for the advice and information.

Mcspeed

I will defer to you Jon and Chris, you guys have worked with more than the 2 I have. Another case of contradictory info, seems I have read it many times about cutting the needles, so that there was less chance of messing with the buds. Should I go back and pull the stubs I had left with last years work, or leave it be.

__________________
If at first you don't succeed -- skydiving is not for you.


Always remember that you're unique -- just like everyone else

Enjoy this day.
Bill