David Easterbrook Decandling Scots Pine?

[mrcasey]

I had no idea that Scots pine should (could?) be decandled like Japanese black pine. Bjorn Bjorholm
and Ryan Neil have cautioned against this, but David's tree looks pretty vigorous to me.
Anybody have an opinion about this one way or the other?

 

[TomB]

If it’s working for him, great.
I wouldn’t do this on Scots pine. In my climate at least they won’t reliably produce a strong second flush. This tree doesn’t look particularly vigorous, based on the foliage density and lack of inner growth.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

David's tree looks pretty vigorous to me.

This does not look like a vigorous Scots pine to me. It looks leggy and sparse.

It isn't what I would do, but David has more experience than I do, so who knows? He says a lot of strange things in this video, not the least of which is that trisodium phosphate can be used as a tool sterilizer. And even his fertilization timing is the exact opposite of what I do.

 

[Paradox]

I also disagree with doing this to Scots pine.

In the video. He is calling what he is doing "candle pinching". This is not my understanding of what candle pinching is.

Candle pinching is going to the tree in mid spring and with your fingers pinching the medium and strong candles in half or more while leaving some of it there. I would probably do it before the growth gets to where it is on the tree in the video.

What he is doing is candle cutting which is completely removing the candle. We do this on JBP and JRP which are 2 flush pines. Scots and mugo are single flush pines so removing all of that year's growth doesn't seem wise.

Also I wipe my tools down with rubbing alcohol between trees to stop potential spread of infections

 

[Mike Corazzi]

It looks a bit like my dead one.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Decandling vigorous scots pines can be done. They'll produce a second flush. I've done this in the past.

But they seem to bud back more reliably by cutting the new shoots in half after summer.

The question is what you're trying to achieve. Fast ramification or good health.

 

[Paradox]

But they seem to bud back more reliably by cutting the new shoots in half after summer.

Yes cutting the shoots back as you indicate (not completely off) in August if the tree has been well fertilized and is vigorous and healthy will stimulate back budding.

Candle pinching in the spring reduces the internodes between growth each year and reduces needle size

 

[Lutonian]

did he post a video of the tree after it re-budded? I have seen people do this to scotts pine and all that happened was it set buds for next year, then if you do this again next year and get the same results the tree will end up not progressing and the tree will slowly weaken. A healthy scots pine if decandle on a good year may produce a second flush but its not guaranteed. I use two approaches to scots pine depending on if i am refining or developing. If developing a tree I will fertilse well in spring and throughout the growing season and cut back hardened shoots in early August (for me in my climate), when refining I will break candles in spring and fertilise after the needle have hardened off

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Yes cutting the shoots back as you indicate (not completely off) in August if the tree has been well fertilized and is vigorous and healthy will stimulate back budding.

Candle pinching in the spring reduces the internodes between growth each year and reduces needle size

I've done full spring/early summer decandling like JRP and JBP too, completely off, and it seems to work. Just not in the sense that it buds more. It pushes out new shoots as a second flush with reduced needle size, and that's about all I got.
Good for fast ramification, not that good for health on the long run.

The technique is usable, but only if you're willing to take a risk.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I think mine got a new shoot once. Either that or a praying mantis was sitting on a branch.

 

[Viridian Bonsai]

This video was recommended to me on YouTube again today. After rewatching it, it seems like he does this every single year. From what I know scots pines don’t normally double flush after being decandled.. in this video he said he even does this to mugo pines, every year. I have been treating my scots and mugo pines with Bjorn’s candle pinching technique to balance vigor but never dared to decandle them.

In this video he says he treats all 2 needle pines like JBP and JRP. Has anyone else decandled their Scots and Mugos every year for decades and not ended up with dead trees?

 

[Paradox]

This video was recommended to me on YouTube again today. After rewatching it, it seems like he does this every single year. From what I know scots pines don’t normally double flush after being decandled.. in this video he said he even does this to mugo pines, every year. I have been treating my scots and mugo pines with Bjorn’s candle pinching technique to balance vigor but never dared to decandle them.

In this video he says he treats all 2 needle pines like JBP and JRP. Has anyone else decandled their Scots and Mugos every year for decades and not ended up with dead trees?

I havent and dont decandle my scots or mugos every year because too many well known, high level bonsai practitioners (Bjorn, Ryan others) have said its a risky endeavor.
I have too much time invested in some of them to try it at this point when the more common practice works well enough