AusBonsai

Hi all,

I've got a couple of questions about the branches on a JBP I have acquired recently. It looks to have had its leader chopped in Winter, with lots of low branches left to develop a tree from.

I've started by removing a few of the top branches that weren't really doing much for the tree (leader or future branching). Really want the energy focused low down. I could probably remove the top branch - but have left it for now as it's not shading anything out.
Given it's de-candling season, I figured I'd check if any are strong enough to be de-candled. So, I cleared out dead needles and removed a couple of very elongated branches with no needles low down. I then started de-candling - but I've stopped after cutting a couple, as I wanted some advice before making any dire mistakes.

Now, I know photos don't do a tree full credit, but just have a couple of questions to avoid future problems.

Question 1
Do I have to strictly de-candle to the old growth (1 - red) to stimulate dormant buds at the cut point OR can I cut halfway down the old growth (2 - blue) to keep the branch more compact?

Question 2
There are some very short buds hiding underneath that I could focus on instead of the longer branches. Is this the preferred approach?
Might be hard to see in the photos. But here's the best I can get:

I imagine this will take 2-3+ repots to get into an appropriate bonsai pot, as well as the final trunk chop. I will always put the trees health first, so not looking for a quick result. Here's some additional photos if anyone else has some extra thoughts.

Merry Christmas and thanks to anyone that can assist.

Id be happy to cut back below the current seasons growth on young JBP as long as the needles below are healthy. If you cut just below the current candle you will most likely just get a bunch of buds just below where you cut. If you cut lower, you should get a number of new buds where healthy needles still exist. I find this a good option as it gives growing points at different locations that can be used rather than having to reduce a bunch down to 2. Either will work though.

And if you are focusing on making this a small tree (Shohin) i'ld also be ok with reducing the pot size significantly on the next repot. I went from a similar sized pot down to small Bonsai pots in one hit with a few this year. A couple have been slow to get going again, but I didn't lose any.

Thanks for the reply Dansai.

Interesting that you’ve done aggressive repotting. What you usually read is that you need to do it progressively with JBP. But it just goes to show how conflicting experiences can be in Bonsai (especially with different climates).

I’ll probably check out the root system next spring and make a decision from there.

I’m definitely intending on keeping it shohin size, hence why I want to keep the branches compact.

Hope your mid north coast travels go well!

Oli

No problem chopping JBP below the current growth when required. That's the primary technique for getting fast thickening and still keeping the trees reasonably compact. I just did that to an older field grown JBP today. Some others I cut back to the older needles in early spring. One has been slow to respond but the other has some strong new shoots.
We've already covered that older needles should be healthy and the trees well fed and generally healthy for best results.

Hi Neil, that photo is extremely helpful, so thank you for sharing that.

The recommendation to do repotting in stages is based on experiences of field grown or collected conifers that need to have the field soil removed and transition into a Bonsai substrate. Young trees that have been grown in counters exclusively are completely different. Generally you will have many more fine rots close to the trunk than you would with a field grown/collected tree. And young JBP are a very strong, vigorous tree.