Pinching Pines

FredL

OK, at this point, I have 16 collected Short Leaf Pines collected in part (7 of them) 20 months ago and in part 8 months ago. They have turned out to be incredibly interesting. They have all adapted very well to growing in pots or grow boxes and are doing very well. One gave me a scare last August, when I thought it was surely dying, but it seems to have turned out that its foliage is actually quite healthy but simply much more grayish in color than the others. Actually, there is considerable difference in the foliage of the various trees, but it all seems to be merely individual differences since they are now all growing in pretty much identical soil mixes and, otherwise, identical circumstances.

I've started doing some initial styling on the seven I've had the longest; mostly just pinching them back early last Summer to try to get them more compact and "bushier". Nothing really serious, yet. But, in looking at them all at the beginning of our Winter here, what I observed that is making wonder how I can do better with them is that the tops of the trees are growing much more vigorously than the lower branches.

This is NOT OK!.

I have seen some ideas about how to deal with this, such as pinching back the lower branches less than the top (which I already did) and pinching the lower branches first and waiting tilll later to pinch the top. What I'm wondering is whether it is a bad idea to pinch the top of the tree back repeatedly during the same growing season.

I'd welcome the experience of others on the subject of improving the vigor of lower branches on pines and decreasing the vigor of higher branches and the apex.

Fred

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TreeBay

Cultivating pines is a continuous effort to balance vigor. The top and outermost areas will tend to be much more vigorous, because it's the nature of the plant.

You need to take this into account in all aspects of culture

1) thinning the needle count at the apex and exterior branching more than the interior areas will both weaken those stronger areas and also allow more penetration of light into the interior of the tree

2) bud selection for the weakest buds at the apex, the weaker buds at the terminals and the strongest buds at the interior and lowest locations

3) candle pruning to facilitate the growth of interior buds (which, depending on the cultural technique you use, could include pinching the interior buds less, pruning them sooner, or pruning Black Pine progressively, as outlined in the pines article at TreeBay Bonsai Tools & Supplies in the articles section.

What is done with regard to candle pruning depends to a large degree on the species. I don't know what species your shortleaved pines are, so the progressive pruning method could be inappropriate. However, thinning and bud selection, and the comments concerning the relative strength of the pine profile will still apply.

BTW, be careful with the candle pruning frequency. Not only is it important to perform it at the right time; it's important from the standpoint of bud selection and needle thinning to have the entire tree in synch.

Regards,

Matt

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