Pinching

bass

I have a cedar tree and an italian stone pine that I want to train.... should I start pinching them now or I should wait for them to grow?
here's the Pinus Pinea..

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pinus pinea.jpg (45.7 KB, 472 views)

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bass

cedar of lebanon...

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cedarprebonsai.jpg (45.1 KB, 460 views)

DavidN

Bass
My opinion would be to first decide want you want to do with the trees and how you want them to look like. Since your trees are still both young you have many options. Do you want the ceder to be a formal upright or and informal upright?

I would prefer both trees in the informal style and that would mean choping and planting on an angle.

I believe pinching will come when you have the branches and final shape of the tree in place.

David

bass

I would like to train them in the informal upright... they seem better this way... but don't I have to prune and pinch the branches? or not yet?

DavidN

Yes bass you will have to prune the branches whenever you want. I prefer to do that when the tree is young, like yours. This will give me more control of how the tree develops in the future. You also will have less scarring from doing you trunk chops when the trees are still young and can heal over small scars quickily. Do the trunk chops in your growing season. Then plant the trunk at an angle and work with you tree in that way. Make sure to keep it well feed and in a large pot or growing bed or box.

The diagram attached might help it understand about trunk chops and growing informal upright trees from a young tree. This diagram is more for decidious trees but I believe the theory is still sound for most other trees.

David

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clipngrow.jpg (27.7 KB, 434 views)

bass

Thanks a lot David, That was very helpful. do you think the cedar of lebanon look better as an informal or formal?

FredL

Bass, are you using any particular book as a guide? If so and I have the same book, I'll be glad to point out a good section of that book and comment on it.

Fred

DavidN

bass
Whatever you do with the Ceder of Lebanon tree would be fantastic either way. I would wish to get one as close to the tree on the flag as possible. This looks like a formal up right that is quite stocky. That is what I would be aiming form. I think you also might have that in mind as well.

David

Bonsainut

Bass,
I know you are very excited about training these trees. You have two choices. Long term and short term. Both have advantages. Short you chop now and trim and wire. You get a little thin trunked bonsai. But at least you are doing and learning right.
long term is you stake it up and let it grow and go shopping for more. With material like this I put two stakes in the pot in a teepee fashion, then wind the heck out of them in and out back and forth, as sharp and gnarly as you can get. Use a wire to secure the top. Put in a sunny place throw on some organic fertilzer and walk away.
Repeat as often as you can afford.

---NUT

__________________
Keep growing,---'Nut



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