AusBonsai

Thanks Paul, I suspected is something like that but, never found a place that confirms it. Thanks a million! Now I understand it better.
Fantastic explanation about all I wanted to know! Thanks again! ( I am going youppyyyy!)
Neil, Thanks for the clear explanation...Lots of things cleared...just remaining to figure out how much to pull from the new needles and how much from the old.

Hi Neil, the video is worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1FiRw2JBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Y6j2wgI2U
Cheers, Dario.

Neli, take the time to watch the video here. Part 1 refers to JBP/JRP, and part 2 is for the single flush lines as mentioned by Neil.

https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... es_on_Pine

I think it will answer some of your questions. In the video, Ryan states that needle plucking to balance energy can be done any time of year, but you shouldn't have to do it multiple times. He recommends doing this whenever you get a new JBP to start developing no matter the season, and then just follow the schedule from there on out.

I have emailed Ryan before to ask a question, and he replied promptly and was very friendly and helpful. I'm not saying we should all spam him with email, but if you have a question you just can't find the answer to, he can probably help. His contact info is on his website.

Dario wrote:Hi Neil, the video is worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1FiRw2JBo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Y6j2wgI2U
Cheers, Dario.

Thanks Dario, thanks Karl! I shall watch them with great enthusiasm. Need to learn from the basics, going up.

Does anybody know how to download a youtube video and save it?

You need to get a downloading program.

According to Ryan Neil's maintenance schedule for Japanese Black Pines Autumn is the time to thin the new shoots that grew after decandling in early summer.
Here are some pics of thinning the new shoots on my pines.
This first picture shows a black pine that was decandled in early December so the new shoots are quite large and vigorous. This is a branch on another tree that was decandled later in December - new shoots are quite a lot more compact but many still have lots of shoots growing where the candles were cut. If we leave lots of shoots emerging from close together the branch will get too will get thick at that point so it is important to remove excess shoots. Leave only 2 shoots at any location. In most cases cut off the larger new shoots leaving the smaller ones to keep your branches neat and compact.

Thanks Neil
I will do mine next few weeks as we here are abit later then you.

do not forget Ryan's method is described in the wiki here as well
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... Black_Pine

Ken

Seems my shoots and candles are taking much longer to extend?

Shibui, I assume this means that either.

a) Your tree's are growing faster than mine.
b) You de-candled earlier than I did.
c) Combination of both the above!?

I have a different problem now. I have learned how to manage my pines in normal circumstances, but I have strange/unusual situation now.
My pines came from Japan in Oct, from mid autumn in Japan to mid spring in Africa. As a result they were late to extend candles...they are about ready to be decandled now, which is I suppose too late.
I think the best will be not to decandle this year and let them acclimatize, and hope that next year they will start candle formation on time.
Neil what is your advise? Should I decandle...just thin needles...or do nothing?
Again most of my pines are shohin and few mame...I would not like them to extend too much since they are at ramification stage.

Here is how they look at the moment.







All in different stage of candle development...

Some very nice little trees, I wouldn't decandle. Some of them look strong, but the extensions don't seem too long.

I'd just let them recover.

When you decandle in summer (say mid November here in Canberra) you also needle pluck; Ryan recommended leaving say 10 sets of needles evenly all over the tree; Ooch left as little as 4 sets of needles.

After the new growth has hardened off over summer and autumn you can then do a minor needle pluck in say May to remove some needles from the most recent growth. An even number(more rather than few in autumn; say 10,15 or more) all over the tree rebalances any strength and weakness after the summer candle prune/needle pluck.

Ryan may feel it necessary not to do multiple needle pluck where he lives but in Australia the pines are more vigorous and need even more attention than Japan and northern USA.

In my opinion anyhow.

Grant

My trees all had needles reduced in December when the candles were removed but after reducing the shoots last week i was also wondering about removing more needles because even the shoots I have left are quite strong. My intuition agrees with your opinion Grant - our growing conditions may need extra needles removed to control growth even further and i have already pulled some of the longer needles that were left in spring but time will tell if we need to reduce them even further.

Neli, I do not have any experience with changing seasons but my gut feeling is the same as Scott. Your better pines only have small shoots, probably because of the really short season they have had and cutting now will probably not achieve anything anyway.
The younger ones with longer shoots can be cut in spring as well. If they have shoots that are too long just cut back into the old needles instead of just cutting the new candles. In my experience they will still produce new buds (as long as you don't cut back to bare branch) and the new buds that grow will be just like the ones from candle cutting, just a bit further down the branches.

Hey guys, what is Pinus Radiata classed as? I am assuming it is the same treatment as JBP?