I can be done either way. In fact, in the video Bjorn does it with both scissors and fingers.
Some candles will be more “open”, with needles spacedfarther apart than others. Those might be easier to do with fingers.
The tree Bjorn was working on looked like it had pretty strong growth, all over. The candles look strong. This can happen when it’s been well fertilized, or when it’s been recently repotted and the roots are growing fast into fresh soil, or when it finds itself in a more favorable climate! Or any combination of them! A tree that hasn’t been repotted in several years, been lightly fertilized, etc, may have candles that aren’t nearly thhs strong.
I have a JWP, well ramified, hasn’t been repotted in a couple years, that is putting out new candles, but it’s been balanced for years. And it just doesn’t need any pinching!
Here’s a picture:
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And a close up of the candles:
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I have not had to pinch a single candle on this tree, this year. This tree has been in refinement for decades. Every couple years, the pads need to have the wire taken off and replaced, but that’s just normal maintenance with any pine.