AusBonsai

Just a pic of my JRP. Looking img for any thoughts or suggestions for progress. I've let it grow out for a number of years, and am in the process of slowly refining the tree.
Suggestions anyone?
BIC lighter for scale.

Frontside



Backside

thats a great growing box. I would start to shape the tree with bending a few of the main branches into position and leave the tips of the foliage to grow.

This will encourage the tree to develop quicker. Nice specimen by the way !

Thanks Brian. I just re potted it last month. The tub is just a growing pot you can pick up at most hydroponic suppliers for around $40.
I shifted the centre of balance to the right more and am in progress bending those branches on the left with guy wires to suit.

ness wrote:Just a pic of my JRP. Looking img for any thoughts or suggestions for progress. I've let it grow out for a number of years, and am in the process of slowly refining the tree.
Suggestions anyone?

hi Ness
my personal approach with pines are not to let any branch run except for clear candidates of sacrifice branches. and if for any reason(mainly regain strength and vigour)that the branches for design purposes have to run, i will endeavour to cut them back to the closest back buds to the trunk once they have run enough(i think its the case with your red pine). this way better tapers are be introduced to the branches and better branch structures can be created with closer inner buds.

regards

the bottom left branch is also doing a good job in thickening the base. it will be the only one i'd leave to grow and cut the rest cut really hard to encourage back buding.

Tien, when is the best time to cut back hard into prior years' growth in order to encourage back budding, the usual time for candle cutting (ie now-ish, depending on where you live) or Autumn?

Nate.bonsai wrote:Tien, when is the best time to cut back hard into prior years' growth in order to encourage back budding, the usual time for candle cutting (ie now-ish, depending on where you live) or Autumn?

Hi Nate
I usually work on my pines in spring(selecting new candle growth back to two and thin out older needles then wire) and summer(if tree is healthy, decandle the spring growth, otherwise the same procedure as in spring) and autumn( sort out the second flush of growth, same as in spring ). I cut back hard in the spring and summer because that's when black, red and radiata pines are pushing their first then second flush of growth. And it gives the buds enough time to grow into shoots, which can then be wired to begin building branch structures.

I am not a big advocate to just decandle in summer. I found that if the tree is not vigourus enough, the second flush often don't grow into something that I can use by autumn. So I'd not decandle in summer to let the less vigourus tree gain strength until the following spring, then cut back hard to closer inner buds. Obviously I'd feed the weaker trees well to promote back buding. At this stage, shorter Internotes and needles are NOT the objective, but the nurturing of good viable back budings.

It's a complicated subject. My approach works for me. All my pines are done to promote strong buds so that the customers don't have to.


Regards

Tien

Check out the wiki page on JBP.
Lots of links to differing ideas a and techniques. Ryan Neil's method well described there too

Thanks for the advice people! I'm looking at enrolling myself into a club early next year.
Honestly, I've been a little afraid to chop into this pine aggressively, due to lack of experience.
I might just give it a good candle trim.
I have noticed a few tiny buds forming on the branches, and I'm sure a trim will encourage their development. I'll watch the recommended videos and keep posting progress on the pine