Austrian Black Pine Question

erubeck

I have been starting to train an Austrian Black Pine purchased last year as nursery stock. I put it into a grow box and in the fall pruned the candles and cut the needles in half. I also but a trunk bender on it and introduced some mevement in the trunk. It survived the winter and spring and is doing well so far.

I have read John Naka's advice in BT II but it says nothing about when to accomplish major pruning like pocket branches and removing an old apex. This will have to be done to get a basic shape and then control the growth by pruning candles in the spring and fall.

Can anyone enlighten me on the subject. I live in the central U.S. and it is already near 100ºF.

__________________
Regards,

Ed

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TreeBay

I don't think I am very familiar with fall candle pruning. What specifically are you doing? In the fall I'm typically thinning needles. I prune the spring candles in the summer, reduce new buds to two (or three on the lower and interior branches), and rarely cut needles because they turn brown on the ends.

As far as whether any pruning is major pruning or not, it depends how much of the tree is being removed. Cutting a few pocket branches probably wouldn't be major pruning. Cutting off an apex might be best left for fall or early spring, but if it's 10-15% of the foliage, I wouldn't worry about it.

Good luck,

Matt

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erubeck

Matt:

Thanks for the information. I did some minor candle or, more descriptively, bud pruning last fall. I limited the number at the top of the tree in favor of those on the lower branches. There were no candles of any size this spring but now there are buds at the end of every branch. I guess I was lucky with the needles because they were extremely long and I cut them in half but the browning at the tips is very minor.

Naka recommends pinching any buds that exceed 1 inch in length in the fall especially at the top of the tree. Up to now every pine I touched took the deep six but this one and several pinion pines I bought this spring are doing well. They will be put into grow boxes next spring.

__________________
Regards,

Ed

Bonsainut

Ed,
Good advice above as usuall. My two cents. Sometimes if you do a late in the year pruning the fall and winter budding is negated. The tree will just sit there until spring then send new candles but very slowly.
Your tree is out of "sync". That is why it is hard to use Sensei Nakas timetable. Normally now you would not have buds at the ends of branches but would have fully opened candles ready to be cut back to provide new ramification.
A photo would sure be helpful in figuring out the next move .
I hear from your first post that you know what to do and have a plan for this tree. Just remember that pines are a long process of growing out cutting back and wire.

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Keep growing,---'Nut



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