Larch pruning: did I miss my window?

[Haines' Trees]

Hey all!
I recently picked up a publication focused on care and development of larch trees. It goes over basic larch pruning techniques, such as removal of strong ends after the spring push to direct energy elsewhere. According to the article this is appropriate to with trees from a young age to try and get ahead of some typical larch growing habits that are undesirable for bonsai. I’m wondering if I’ve missed the opportunity to do this pruning, and if I can do it on my young trees. I understand it can be a gamble if you go pinching or trimming too late even on older specimens.

Here are four of the dozen and a half or so I have at this age. Grown from seed, started may of last year.

I’ve got buds all up and down most of them that are getting ready to pop. Many of the lateral branches have buds too. One of these 4 has a terminal bud on its leader; according to what I read that means pruning on that one is a no-go?

Am I even good to prune these at this young age? The article said pruning was appropriate “from the first year on”. I count it as a credible publication, just wanna hear some thoughts.

FWIW, I’m planning on transplanting all these into the ground next spring.

 

[Bnana]

Taking the end of will make these buds grow if you want more branches. I don't know what you mean with a terminal bud. All branches have a growing tip. And for timing, I need to pinch the tips every two to three weeks, these things grow like crazy.

 

[Haines' Trees]

Okay, so I guess I’ll pinch off the ends on a couple to see how it goes.

By terminal bud I mean a bud where the growing tip should be. On one tree the leader has stopped lengthening and there’s just a bud on the end. Like what you’d expect to see in March at the end of the branches. Little golden brown bulb on the end; looks like it’ll open shortly if I leave it alone

 

[Paradox]

These larch are very young.

You might want to wire them this fall and put some movement in those trunks before they thicken too much

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Let them grow wild for a couple of years to get some girth and build up their strength. I have both American and Japanese larch and found the American’s more resiliant. I suggest you watch some of Nigel Saunders YouTube videos, The Bonsai Zone. He has a beautiful larch forest that I have ben watching grow for years. He recently did a combination larch/spruce forest that is developing nicely. Be aware that his big forest is over 20 years old but the new mixed one are seedlings. Since he is in Canada he can probably get away with a lot more than you or I can but he is a great resource.

 

[Bnana]

Whether you should wire and prune also depends on what you want with these trees. For a forest I wouldn't wire them. Do you want to make it individual bonsai than wiring is a good idea (unless for formal upright).

 

[Haines' Trees]

@Paradox noted. I definitely want at least one formal upright but I’ll look at wiring when the time comes.

@Cofga thanks for the direction to Nigel Saunders! Should be a good resource.

 

[Haines' Trees]

This may become a progression thread but that’s okay. I for one really appreciate when others post and keep up their progression threads up to date. Hopefully at least some of these will be something one day.

Here is a side by side comparison of two individuals. The one on the left was pinched off periodically and the other was left alone. It definitely speaks to the value of pinching off growth, since despite the difference between the two they were planted the exact same day. They are in two different substrates which does add a variable to the equation; I don’t plan on switching the substrate during the repot. We will see if in the long term one consistently performs better. Ground planting will wait, looking to get a new place in the next year and I’m not willing to pull them up at an inappropriate time.

 

[Bnana]

Pinching works well for larch.
This forest is just two years in development. I cut branches back regularly and that does help the ramification a lot. You do have to prune harder in the top as they grow most there. With enough water, nutrients and full sun they do grow a lot. It's a great species to play with.

 

[Haines' Trees]

A few of them starting to take off for the year.