Who's Ryan Neil?Ryan neil mentions you don't prune to get back budding
If it were mine I would let it sit until spring next year before I did anything to it.Should i start to wire these branches down thats what I'm thinking that needs done now?
You can wire now, but better to wait until fall. What you really need is a full year under your belt. You need to see the effects of your techniques, and then all of this (how pines grow and respond to pruning) will become clear to you.Should i start to wire these branches down thats what I'm thinking that needs done now?
All pines grow the same way, just not at the same speed. All pines have/grow like this:Yeh fall is the appropriate time for sure. Looked at your preview looks good even though JBP is multi flush and scots pine is single flush the principles are about the same?
The other thing you need to keep in mind when watching videos or reading books is what species the author is talking about.
Brain Van Fleet's book is excellent (I own a copy) for Japanese Black Pines. Ryan Neil often talks about JBP.
Japanese black pine is a two flush pine - they can produce new buds and needles 2x a year.
What you have is a scots pine and they are not treated the same as JBP because they are a one flush pine.
You need to be very careful of this. If you treat a scots like JBP you will very likely kill it.
Let it grow this year, wire it this fall (any time between mid Oct - January is fine) and read up on Scots and Mugo pines (they are treated the same)
Yep i knew that but thankyou for the heads up!
Have you been on this site -
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Pinus page2.html
This guy is also brilliant Harry Harrington from the UK, London. Very good read aswel it explains, multi flush and single flush pines.
All pines grow the same way, just not at the same speed. All pines have/grow like this:
1. Buds which elongate in the spring (candles)
2. Candles which are topped with a bud(s) for next spring
3. Needles which emerge along the candle until mid summer
4. Needles that harden off in mid-summer
5. Time to "rest" from fall until dormancy: develop some additional buds, slough off 2-3 year old needles.
Unless something happens...which is our part. We can intervene in a number of ways at each step (numbers below correlate to those above) to get a response:
1. We can reduce the number of buds until we have the desired number, or all the same size of buds. Balancing.
2. As candles extend, we can break them so they are shorter. Then the buds for next year form at the break, or at the base. Breaking the candles so they're all the same length balances the strength of the tree, and shortens the physical distance between this year's buds and next year's buds. Keeps it from getting leggy.
3. Strong areas can have needles removed, so all areas have roughly the same density. Balance.
4. In JBP, this is when these candles are removed entirely, and a new set of candles will grow from the base. If you do this with 1-flush pines, it will weaken the tree, but you will get buds at the base which will grow next year. Don't do it.
5. During the resting phase, prune and wire, remove old needles, and select buds (balance). When pruning, always remove the growth that is farthest from the trunk and replace it with growth that is closer to the trunk. You always need to have a plan to develop new shoots to replace old growth. More than artistic styling, fan out shoots to give them each some space in the sunlight (balance).
For JBP letting things grow will produce backbudding. For sylvestris you need to cut back after the tree has accumulated energy. For sylvestris in refinement you start pinching to let the backbudding that is present develop. Keep in mind that most videos of Ryan do start explaining after primary branches are established. With pines like this i would cut useless (too many on a fork) branches in fall. Select as many primary branches as possible (keep all options open, don't style directly to a front). Style everything open and add movement. Leave equal amount (or close to +-20) needles above and below. Do a half bare root repot in spring. In summer cut back the strongest shoots (+- 20%). In fall do a second styling, leave equal amount of new needles (+-15). If strong growing spring can be a next repot. Most often waiting a year longer is better. Build the structure first, add movement, grow the lower ones bigger than the higher ones. On slender trunks like this, most often you will end with a literati styled tree. Cut back one or two branches per year and let the image settle in your mind for a year. This way you grow together with your tree. 2, 3 or 4 branches might be enough. Cutting back right away to a more final image will weaken your tree and slow down the development.
Not straight. Add movement.Very good I understand that. So basically go slow!
My first job this year will be wire the branches straight
What????"??""??"?"?? Are you sure you understand what he has said to you?Ryan neil mentions you don't prune to get back budding its the traffic of resources through the branches!?