JBP needle plucking?

[bonsaiboy60077]

Got this JBP yesterday at the show. Wondering if I should pluck needles yet?

 

[River's Edge]

Got this JBP yesterday at the show. Wondering if I should pluck needles yet?

Removing needles is a balancing technique used in refinement. Your tree is in early stages of development. What is commonly referred to as a tree in training. The normal sequence would be further trunk development, developing and training primary branches, creating movement and taper in the upper trunk portions. After that moving on to compaction and increasing density of foliage in the interior of primary and secondary branches.
When it comes time to start balancing the zones for even density and needle length is when plucking and counting needles comes in. During development needles are usually only removed if they are shading out key areas that are important for the future design.

 

[bonsaiboy60077]

I got this Niagra falls eastern white pine yesterday too, it’s a lot further along and clearly a much older tree

 

[Paradox]

The JBP is way to young and undeveloped for needle plucking as River stated.

The white pine, while a bit older is still a young and undeveloped tree.

For now the best thing is to water and fertilize them.

In the fall wire and put some shape into the JBP's trunk.

The white pine has a lot of its branches with foliage out away from the trunk and not much close. I don't know how well they back bud on old wood. You should research what others have found with them and if they have successfully gotten them to back bud. If so, follow their techniques with this one. If you can't find info then research techniques for single flush pines (Japanese white pine, Scots pine) and try those