JBP candle cutting

[Dirty Nails]

This is a JBP I bought from Bill V. this past spring. It had that funny hitch in the middle so I thought slant would be best. I stuck it in this terra cotta and it has grown really well. All I have done is pulled a few brown needles and fed it well. According to the Ryan Neil lecture now is the time I cut all the candles back to 5mm. Right? Should I worry about needle plucking now? I just want to check with the pros so I treat this tree right.

 

[Paulkellum]

It depends if thats the trunk size you want and your ready to develop the tree then its time to decandle. If you want a bigger trunk or taper you need to let it grow a tall leader and let it go a few years. If you want it thicker with taper it needs to go in the ground or it will take forever.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Now is the time for candle cutting in Nashville. The question you'll need to answer is if that is the proper technique for this stage of training. If you're inclined to candle cut (I would), then you may want to also balance the strength by thinning needles out to 6-8 pairs per shoot; leaving more at the lower and interior, and fewer at the tips and top.