decandling the pines

[shibui]

Mid December seems to be a good time for me to cut spring candles on more advanced pines. There's still enough growing season left to produce healthy new candles and they won't be as big or as strong as those from decandling earlier.

Here's a Japanese Black pine. Not really old but I've been decandling for a couple of years now and ramification and shoot size is improving.

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This is a much older black pine but it has only been pruned properly for the last 4 or 5 years.

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That one is distinctly yellow this season. It has probably missed out on fertiliser and may also need repotting.

Japanese red pines are also decandled. This old one has developed good ramification as a result of several years of decandling and pruning.

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[shibui]

This is another quite old black pine. These trees were not maintained properly for many years so the branches grew long and sparse before I recognised what was happening.
I then spent another 10 years trying to get some growth back closer to the trunks - pruning and grafting - and a few more years developing the new shoots and branches. only now starting to see some ramification developing ans shoots are still very strong.

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Another relatively young Black pine developing as a cascade style. Really hoping to keep this one under shohin size to use in shohin exhibits.

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I've only been managing this one for a couple of years so ramification is just starting to develop and there is vast difference in shoot strength.

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[Greg F]

Nice pines Neil, I especially like the cascade black pine.
Thanks for sharing these.

Greg

[Matthew]

Neil

awesome , i'm hoping to get to mine this weekend or it will be the following weekend if time dosent allow . These are coming along nicely
Matt

[MJL]

Hey Neil,

Just looking at your semi-cascade - reminded me of this tree that came my way earlier this year. It's called "The E'ffed pine" here. viewtopic.php?f=131&t=27337&p=269108&hi ... ne#p269108

Yesterday, I decandled it too. I have only had it since winter when it was restyled and repotted. Now I am taking formal classes; really trying to understand these tree and think long term. In fact, this was my first ever decandling... I had one tree to practice my technique on and then onto this tree. Anyway ... photos are always hard - here's a before and after photos. Not much yet - but will be something in future. That one candle remaining on the lower left is merely pulling growth though.

Before

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After

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I am really enjoying learning about these trees and taking a long term view.

[shibui]

I saved the better developed ones until last.

This is my larger JBP

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after

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It will still need some wiring to properly place all the smaller twigs into pads but that's something for another day.

The last was a root over rock red pine

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A pair of blue wrens were getting agitated as I prepared to attack this one.

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Then I found the reason....

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They had worked out that the nest and babies had been moved 10 metres from the bench where it normally lives over to the work area and were still feeding the chicks in the nest.

I still decandled, despite all the chatter from the parents

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Then put it back in the usual position so the wrens could get on with raising the babies.

As usual, just when you think you've finished, I found another red pine that I had forgotten about

[MJL]

Damn fine home for a family of wren's I reckon.

[DavidN]

I have been videoing my decandling black pine process in the hope it shows newer people in bonsai the way to do it.
Here is the link to one of the videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipkPTdOCBz0

David

[shibui]

Good work with that vid David. Much easier to see the process as it happens.
Love the quality set but maybe clean up the weeds before the next shoot.

[Greg F]

David I always enjoy and appreciate your videos, very helpful thanks mate.

Neil thats like the hilton for wrens. Its always nice having wrens around. I had some in my front yard but havnt seen them for a while and think it might be to do with the black birds that have showed up.

Greg

[DavidN]

Good work with that vid David. Much easier to see the process as it happens.
Love the quality set but maybe clean up the weeds before the next shoot.

hahaha thanks Neil. I am working on the weed issue