Loblolly Pine—What Next?

[Gabler]

I got four flushes this year without decandling. That's four times in one year that it grew new candles at the end of this year's growth.

 

[johng]

I got four flushes this year without decandling. That's four times in one year that it grew new candles at the end of this year's growth.

I've been playing with Loblollies for a few years. I forced multiple flushes a year by cutting off all the new growth, up to 4 times, but what I realized is it really didn't get me any further in development. The tree continues to bud back in the same areas but gets a little weaker each time. I have since rolled back my approach and started removing new growth only once and much later in the summer...end of July or even early August. I "think" the results are improving but I probably need another year or two to really see how they develop. Long story short...is more than 2 flushes a year really adding to the ramification or just causing the tree to get weaker and weaker with JBP pruning techniques??? I have done similar experiments with Virginia pine and they will easily flush three times during my growing season but I never could identify any advantages to cutting all the foliage off more than once a year. These pines are tough but I is more really better...I don't think so.

 

[TomP]

I have done one decandling and two (never tried more). I think I have determined that the best results for me is a decandling in md-May and mid-July. If I only do one decandling the tree still has a lot of energy and the new shoots are too long unless I do it very late (ie end of August) then I run the risk of the shoots not maturing before frost. At the end of the season I still trim each tip to two shoots so the ramification is not necessarily better, but the shoots are shorter if that makes sense