Your bonsai videos are so helpful! I especially like how you talk us through this episode on Pines. I have never understood how/when to trim the candles on Pines. Thanks for making this so easily comprehensible for me.
There is a book I read. I don't remember the autor's name but the book is called "The Bonsai Workshop" He is from Oregon in the US. in the book there is an entire chapter on his work with Lodgepole pines. it will work as well with any two-needle pine. What it consists of which of course you cannot do this every year or you might kill the tree but it is good when you need to balance vigo in the branches. What you do for this is to estimate when the majority of th candles are at the ideal stage for pinching then 14 days before that date, you remove the smallest 1/3 of the candles on the tree regadless of their level of development. one week later, you remove the smallest 1/2 of the remaining candles again regadless of hwo developed they are. finally on the date that you estimated would be the ideal date, you completely remove all the remaining candles on the tree. In all these prunings it is complete removal of the candle. that is why this isn't done every year. instead of extending candles, the tree just makes bud for next season.
That sounds like a good book, I've heard of this method. Some people remove all the candles also and get good results. I've never done this, maybe when the tree is more refined it would be a good method to get the tree ready for a show.
Nice video. Can you please make one for Mugo Pines also. I just started on bonsai and could use a lot of help. Thank you so much, I love your videos and learning a lot from them.
Hey there , really love and appreciate the info in your videos. Got a quick question for you. Have you ever made a home made rooting hormone out of willow cuttings ? To give your plants roots an extra kick have been doing some reasearch on it. Just interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks .
beautiful bonsai. can you take cuttings on a Scots pine please I have a Scots pine and would love to take a cutting . many thanks. subscribed to yr channel.
Yes, but it may be hard to get them to root, you might need a greenhouse type seed tray to start them in. Here is an article.... www.researchgate.net/profile/Tuija_Aronen/publication/265242459_Clonal_propagation_of_Scots_pine_-experiences_in_all_the_methods_tried/links/555b2bc808aeaaff3bfc188c/Clonal-propagation-of-Scots-pine-experiences-in-all-the-methods-tried.pdf
You can pinch the new growing tip in spring as it is extending, this will hopefully cause new branches to form lower down on the branch. Prune it back to these new branches after they have developed and just keep repeating the process. Gradually the branches will become shorter.
@@TheBonsaiZone Thank you very much! I knew you would help me. And to ask you one more thing, I can't find information and figure out how to prune Thuja and False Cypress Boulevard, I guess you'll be able to help me. I see you have experience. Don't stop developing your channel!
The little seedling is a Northern White Pine, it is doing well. I'm just letting it grow again this year. I'll show it in an upcoming bench tour video.
You may be able to help me. I live in a warmish climate and all of a sudden the tips of the needles on my Scots pine have begun to turn yellow. What could be causing this and how can I rectify it? Many thanks.
There is a tip blight that pines can get, here is some info.... ask.bonsaitonight.com/t/pine-needle-cast/60 fortcollinsnursery.com/news/are-your-evergreens-looking-yellow/
You can grow fantastic pines from seeds, here is an article on this species... guide.makebonsai.com/bonsai_species_guide_training.asp?SpeciesID=5053&Name=Pinus_halepensis bonsaitonight.com/2016/08/17/grow-japanese-black-pine-seed/
Hi Nigel, I live in Montreal and just started bonsai this spring and I just Got a scots pine in training from a nursery this october. The Nursery suggested that I put my tree in The ground with its training pot to protect the roots from freezing this winter. Do you suggest the same thing
That is the best method, burying the pot and the tree up to the first branch. The only danger is that mice and rabbits can chew on your trunk and kill the tree. I would place a mesh cage around the tree to help prevent any damage.
Thank you Nigel for your response. I will bury my trees to the first branch. Another question if I may, If they are not in pots do you still recommend to bury them till the first branch Thank you
I'm keeping the branch structure the tree has now, but am tying to thicken up the whole tree evenly. The candles I pinched will be maintained as the small fine structure. The large un-pinched shoots, I am letting grow will be removed. Every branch will have a section that is maintained as a bonsai, and a section that is growing freely to thicken up the structure. With all the un-pinched tips left to grow freely, the tree should thicken up really quickly.
how many times a year do you do that? I got a Japanese black pine would it respond tge same way to this process? I wanna thicken it. it's very young and from seed. maybe 5 yr old
I did not know this. I didn't know they are called candles. Makes sense. The candles on mine grew so fast, perhaps 3 inches in 2 days. Now, will cutting the candles make the branch below it grow more needles?
If the branch has lots of vigor in it, and you pinch back the candles, it will back bud with new branches forming.When the new branches grow out a bit, you can prune the branch back to these new shoots. This will allow you to keep your pine compact and miniature.
This is normally done in July august In the uk when the new growth has hardened off, this is so that the energy the tree has used to create the new growth can be replenished by the new needles. Is there any reason you do this in may? I'm not familiar with your location
It all depends how much vigor you want in the branches of the tree. If the tree is in a refinement stage, then you may want the pinch the candles before the needles come out, this equalizes the vigor in the tree, the branches on the apex will get more of the candle removed so they will stay small and not grow twice as fast as the lower branches. If your tree is growing and all the parts of the tree are balanced in vigor, and you want to grow the tree at a faster rate, then the candles should be left on the tree and pruned at a later date. Can you have too much vigor in a tree? I think you can, I have seen small slender branches, suddenly thicken up when the candles are left untouched until mid summer. This is very common in the apex and you can get branches that are thicker than some of the ones lower on the tree. There are so many factors with pines and techniques. How you water and fertilize, your soil, your location and the root system you have with your tree, all determine the vigor and the growth rate of your Pine. Small trees can become very large trees with ideal conditions, keeping your tree small and healthy is a balancing act.
Hi Nigel. Just watched this video, and was wondering if you have any experience with Japanese White Pines. I just bought one. It is very healthy with a lot of dense branching and lots of candles on each branch tip. I was going to cut off all but 2 of the candles on the upper and middle tier branches, and leave 3 on each of the lower tier branches. But then I saw articles online saying you should not remove candles at this time of year, just pinch them back. But I also saw articles/videos that said to remove the excess candles completely. Can you shed any light on what I should do? Just pinch them back, then remove excess candles later in the year? Or remove excess candles now and let the remaining ones grow? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks, Bob
Hello Bob, I haven't any Japanese White Pines. If you do pruning at this time of year, the cuts will bleed sap for a long time and can drip down the bark of your tree and leave a sticky mess. Pinching the soft growth avoids this sap flow out from the tree. Ryan Neil has a good talk on strategies for single flush growth pines.... ruclips.net/video/-1Y6j2wgI2U/видео.html You could pinch the candles now and then remove them later in the year or if you want the branch to gain vigor, you could let all the candles grow that you intend to remove and then wait to fall to cut them off. This would give the branch strength to develop back buds, if you need them. It all depends on what the branches look like and where you see them in the future years.
Thanks Nigel. The video is quite informative. Since my tree is very healthy, pushing lots of candles, and the fact that I have already cut out the main candle (which I believe I should not have done), I will let the rest of the candles extend, and just pinch them back as they get longer. I will wait until later in the season to remove shoots and hopefully give it the best chance at back budding for the next season. Thanks again! :)
I did this winter, normally I put them in my unheated section of the basement when the weather starts to get really cold. This winter was a mild one, so the trees stayed out on the benches. I did bring in my not so hardy trees, the Japanese maple and my Catalpa trees.
Now I understand candle pinching. Thank you very much Nigel. oh, I also miss the "Do Something Green Today" tips.
Good morning Nigel, thank you for that video. Very timely I have a Scott's pine to trim and pinch candles today. Thanks, Jack
Your bonsai videos are so helpful! I especially like how you talk us through this episode on Pines. I have never understood how/when to trim the candles on Pines. Thanks for making this so easily comprehensible for me.
Thanks Nigel this is just what I needed to see .your work on your third scots pine.i purchased a young Scots and did not know how to prune the top.
Thanks Charlie, hope your pine grows well!
Hey Nigel, can I pinch the candles on newly potted pines? And should I pinch them before the candles get any needles on them?
I read a couple of articles and boos about pruning etc. but your video makes it very clear, thank you!
Thank you Louis.
I missed my chance! Thanks for the upload Nigel! Maybe I'll get it on time next year
Good job! I would like to see how you would style that Scots Pine!
Yay pines! I see the large red maple you repotted earlier this year is doing well also.
I wasn't sure the maple was going to make it, but so far, so good!
There is a book I read. I don't remember the autor's name but the book is called "The Bonsai Workshop" He is from Oregon in the US. in the book there is an entire chapter on his work with Lodgepole pines. it will work as well with any two-needle pine. What it consists of which of course you cannot do this every year or you might kill the tree but it is good when you need to balance vigo in the branches. What you do for this is to estimate when the majority of th candles are at the ideal stage for pinching then 14 days before that date, you remove the smallest 1/3 of the candles on the tree regadless of their level of development. one week later, you remove the smallest 1/2 of the remaining candles again regadless of hwo developed they are. finally on the date that you estimated would be the ideal date, you completely remove all the remaining candles on the tree. In all these prunings it is complete removal of the candle. that is why this isn't done every year. instead of extending candles, the tree just makes bud for next season.
That sounds like a good book, I've heard of this method. Some people remove all the candles also and get good results. I've never done this, maybe when the tree is more refined it would be a good method to get the tree ready for a show.
Nigel, nice work.
one of your best videos. Pines 😍😍😍
Thank you! This was very helpful by showing different reasons for pinching the same species.
Nice video. Can you please make one for Mugo Pines also. I just started on bonsai and could use a lot of help. Thank you so much, I love your videos and learning a lot from them.
Hey there , really love and appreciate the info in your videos. Got a quick question for you. Have you ever made a home made rooting hormone out of willow cuttings ? To give your plants roots an extra kick have been doing some reasearch on it. Just interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks .
Thanks Nigel...
beautiful bonsai. can you take cuttings on a Scots pine please I have a Scots pine and would love to take a cutting . many thanks. subscribed to yr channel.
Yes, but it may be hard to get them to root, you might need a greenhouse type seed tray to start them in. Here is an article....
www.researchgate.net/profile/Tuija_Aronen/publication/265242459_Clonal_propagation_of_Scots_pine_-experiences_in_all_the_methods_tried/links/555b2bc808aeaaff3bfc188c/Clonal-propagation-of-Scots-pine-experiences-in-all-the-methods-tried.pdf
Hello, Mr. Sanders
can I have a bit of help? How do I shorten a fir branch without killing it?
You can pinch the new growing tip in spring as it is extending, this will hopefully cause new branches to form lower down on the branch. Prune it back to these new branches after they have developed and just keep repeating the process. Gradually the branches will become shorter.
@@TheBonsaiZone Thank you very much! I knew you would help me.
And to ask you one more thing, I can't find information and figure out how to prune Thuja and False Cypress Boulevard, I guess you'll be able to help me. I see you have experience.
Don't stop developing your channel!
Turn the pot on its side to make the cascade branch the apex for a season that will make it grow faster and fatten up
great video nigel
Thanks Hilary.
Nigel love the video!! didnt yoy collect a New seedling in the forest last year? how is that little tree doing? :-)
The little seedling is a Northern White Pine, it is doing well. I'm just letting it grow again this year. I'll show it in an upcoming bench tour video.
You may be able to help me. I live in a warmish climate and all of a sudden the tips of the needles on my Scots pine have begun to turn yellow. What could be causing this and how can I rectify it? Many thanks.
There is a tip blight that pines can get, here is some info....
ask.bonsaitonight.com/t/pine-needle-cast/60
fortcollinsnursery.com/news/are-your-evergreens-looking-yellow/
hi Scot now that u are talking about pin trees I know that a juniper is not a pine tree but they are family how do I prune a juniper
Check out John's video, he explains it well. (better than I could!)
ruclips.net/video/ZJYYKiHHIJI/видео.html
Hi Nigel I have just planted some Jerusalem Pine seeds I have never grown pine trees before what is your opinion on growing them. 😁🌳
You can grow fantastic pines from seeds, here is an article on this species...
guide.makebonsai.com/bonsai_species_guide_training.asp?SpeciesID=5053&Name=Pinus_halepensis
bonsaitonight.com/2016/08/17/grow-japanese-black-pine-seed/
Hi Nigel, I live in Montreal and just started bonsai this spring and I just Got a scots pine in training from a nursery this october. The Nursery suggested that I put my tree in The ground with its training pot to protect the roots from freezing this winter. Do you suggest the same thing
That is the best method, burying the pot and the tree up to the first branch. The only danger is that mice and rabbits can chew on your trunk and kill the tree. I would place a mesh cage around the tree to help prevent any damage.
Thank you Nigel for your response. I will bury my trees to the first branch. Another question if I may, If they are not in pots do you still recommend to bury them till the first branch
Thank you
Nothing more Bonsai than the beeping of heavy equipment.
Hi Nigel, why do you need so many sacrificial branches? I see people leaving only 1 or 2. Can you please explain in some details?
I'm keeping the branch structure the tree has now, but am tying to thicken up the whole tree evenly. The candles I pinched will be maintained as the small fine structure. The large un-pinched shoots, I am letting grow will be removed. Every branch will have a section that is maintained as a bonsai, and a section that is growing freely to thicken up the structure. With all the un-pinched tips left to grow freely, the tree should thicken up really quickly.
So, the thickening will be faster :) Thank you very much.
how many times a year do you do that? I got a Japanese black pine would it respond tge same way to this process? I wanna thicken it. it's very young and from seed. maybe 5 yr old
Check out Ryan Neil's video on Black pines.....
ruclips.net/video/Yn1FiRw2JBo/видео.html
Hopefully this will answer your questions!
I did not know this. I didn't know they are called candles. Makes sense. The candles on mine grew so fast, perhaps 3 inches in 2 days. Now, will cutting the candles make the branch below it grow more needles?
If the branch has lots of vigor in it, and you pinch back the candles, it will back bud with new branches forming.When the new branches grow out a bit, you can prune the branch back to these new shoots. This will allow you to keep your pine compact and miniature.
+Nigel Saunders okay, thank you
This is normally done in July august In the uk when the new growth has hardened off, this is so that the energy the tree has used to create the new growth can be replenished by the new needles. Is there any reason you do this in may? I'm not familiar with your location
It all depends how much vigor you want in the branches of the tree. If the tree is in a refinement stage, then you may want the pinch the candles before the needles come out, this equalizes the vigor in the tree, the branches on the apex will get more of the candle removed so they will stay small and not grow twice as fast as the lower branches. If your tree is growing and all the parts of the tree are balanced in vigor, and you want to grow the tree at a faster rate, then the candles should be left on the tree and pruned at a later date. Can you have too much vigor in a tree? I think you can, I have seen small slender branches, suddenly thicken up when the candles are left untouched until mid summer. This is very common in the apex and you can get branches that are thicker than some of the ones lower on the tree. There are so many factors with pines and techniques. How you water and fertilize, your soil, your location and the root system you have with your tree, all determine the vigor and the growth rate of your Pine. Small trees can become very large trees with ideal conditions, keeping your tree small and healthy is a balancing act.
Nigel Saunders, The Bonsai Zone thanks for responding Nigel. That makes sense.
Beautiful Bonsais!
Thank you!
Hi Nigel. Just watched this video, and was wondering if you have any experience with Japanese White Pines. I just bought one. It is very healthy with a lot of dense branching and lots of candles on each branch tip.
I was going to cut off all but 2 of the candles on the upper and middle tier branches, and leave 3 on each of the lower tier branches. But then I saw articles online saying you should not remove candles at this time of year, just pinch them back. But I also saw articles/videos that said to remove the excess candles completely.
Can you shed any light on what I should do? Just pinch them back, then remove excess candles later in the year? Or remove excess candles now and let the remaining ones grow?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Bob
Hello Bob, I haven't any Japanese White Pines. If you do pruning at this time of year, the cuts will bleed sap for a long time and can drip down the bark of your tree and leave a sticky mess. Pinching the soft growth avoids this sap flow out from the tree. Ryan Neil has a good talk on strategies for single flush growth pines....
ruclips.net/video/-1Y6j2wgI2U/видео.html
You could pinch the candles now and then remove them later in the year or if you want the branch to gain vigor, you could let all the candles grow that you intend to remove and then wait to fall to cut them off. This would give the branch strength to develop back buds, if you need them. It all depends on what the branches look like and where you see them in the future years.
Thanks Nigel. The video is quite informative. Since my tree is very healthy, pushing lots of candles, and the fact that I have already cut out the main candle (which I believe I should not have done), I will let the rest of the candles extend, and just pinch them back as they get longer. I will wait until later in the season to remove shoots and hopefully give it the best chance at back budding for the next season. Thanks again! :)
Do you leave those trees outside in winter?
I did this winter, normally I put them in my unheated section of the basement when the weather starts to get really cold. This winter was a mild one, so the trees stayed out on the benches. I did bring in my not so hardy trees, the Japanese maple and my Catalpa trees.
Very informative and eloquent.
Thank you!
Very, very helpful.
Thank you for posting. ☺
Glad you found it of use! Thank you.
amazing,s bonsai
Thank you Gustian!
foist