JBP Pruning behind the candle

[Rhumphres01]

I’m new to JBPs and I was wondering what happens if you prune behind the candles? I have read it promotes needle buds, but will it back bud candles on the tip where I cut it as well? How should you cut back if it hasnt been candle pruned in years and is lengthy?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If you prune behind the candle, into last years growth, a healthy tree will produce new apical buds and maybe some buds further back.
If the timing is wrong and/or you cut too far back, you risk losing the branch. You need needles on the branch, healthy needles. Otherwise the tree kills the branch.

With regular candle cutting and normal techniques, good watering and nutrients, normal candle cutting will get you back buds on 3-4 year old wood, sometimes older.

Doing risky stuff is risky, so on real lengthy branches you might want to consider grafting.

 

[Rhumphres01]

If you prune behind the candle, into last years growth, a healthy tree will produce new apical buds and maybe some buds further back.
If the timing is wrong and/or you cut too far back, you risk losing the branch. You need needles on the branch, healthy needles. Otherwise the tree kills the branch.

With regular candle cutting and normal techniques, good watering and nutrients, normal candle cutting will get you back buds on 3-4 year old wood, sometimes older.

Doing risky stuff is risky, so on real lengthy branches you might want to consider grafting.

Ah gotcha, and if I cut back into last years growth would that be about the same time as decandling in the summer? Or would it be when you would normally be selecting candles?

 

[Wulfskaar]

I am a rookie JBP candle pruner, but I'll give you my first experience.

I followed Eric Schrader's video, I think it was this one:

He explains things very clearly in a way that I understand why he's doing what he's doing.

On one, I cut just above the base of the candle in order to get the buds at the base to grow new branches there.

On another, I cust just below the base of the candle in order to get more energy into lower buds and branches.

I did it at the same point as shown in the video, where the candles had extended and needles were starting to grow. So far, so good. The 2nd flush of growth has been really good and worked on both as advertised.

Here is another of his videos that may help you as well:

 

[Shibui]

No problem cutting black pine below the new candles provided there are healthy needles left on the branch. As JBP needles usually live for 3 years that means you can cut back to the older needles that may be 2 seasons back on the branch. Hard pruning like this won't give new candles at the cut like decandling but new buds/ candles will grow from many of the needles. You may also get some back buds from the bare section below if the tree is healthy and you have luck on your side.
Sometimes cutting back to the side branches closer to the trunk and regrowing the branches is the best start to renovating an overgrown pine.
Grafting may be a useful tool if all branches are too long.

Budding will be much weaker if you allow some strong, active shoots to remain in the upper parts - apical dominance - so I prefer to cut back all over when trying for good back budding.

Hard prune can be done any time of year but response may vary.
Early spring chop will give plenty of new buds but the candles may grow strong and long.
Early summer chop (decandling time) will still give lots of new buds but they generally don't extend much.
Autumn and winter prune nothing much happens until the following spring when you should get lots of strong new shoots again.