Smoke
Ignore-Amus
Shohin is 8" or less to 4".
A 10" tree is Kifu.
A 10" tree is Kifu.
I stand corrected, that's even worse, or in this case more difficult.Shohin is 8" or less to 4".
A 10" tree is Kifu.
You did not mention how long it took to work this tree down to this size and you did not show how large the tree was when you started it. You made a good tree of this however; this tree is a Maple and not a JBP. Just so we all know what I have been responding to here is the original post:It is very difficult to develop tree for shohin from nursery material. Getting it into the appropriate pot is very difficult.
From this....
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To this...
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My 2 questions are still not addressed, namely:
1. Can I safely remove the middle shoot to let in more light / air to my keeper branches without weakening the new leader?
2. Needle pulling and bud removal is next - any advice on these? eg how much should I remove? I know to keep 2 buds max at each point but most of the shoots I'm going to keep have just one that I can see - here's a pic of the top section of the tree from above
I know Eric said it's not needle pulling time yet but can I / should I remove that middle shoot now? Should I be only retaining final branches on the trunk (apart from sacrifices)?
Here is the deal, trees do not fit size parameters due to trunk size, they fit size parameters due to height. So a person could have a shohin tree (5-8 inches tall) with a three inch trunk or a chuin tree (16 to 36 inches tall) with a three inch trunk.Appreciate all the answers. I hope Marie doesnt mind me asking questions here as this is her thread, I could start another thread i suppose but I am in the exact same position as her so I thought I could join.
So, the first step is to do root work meaning inspection and 1/3 or 1/2 bare rooting to decide if the main roots are small enough. And lets say the goal is shohin or kifu size just not bigger because the trunk just isnt thick enough.
I will give the advice no one wants to hear, I am just a people pleaser that way. If you have to ask about these two questions, your not experienced enough to do these things to a pine. The blog Eric showed, showed trees in clay pots about 5 inches across, in some cases trunks already 3+ inches across in clay pots 5 inches across. Trees like this can be prepared to go into shohin pots very easily. Trees from a nursery in 14x14 inch baskets do not go into the correct size shohin pots, period. So now you manage to make the chop and not kill the tree, you wait two years to grow out the extension and begin working branches and finally get to a good little tree. It won't fit the appropriate pot and you are left with nothing but to pot it into the wrong pot and it is less that want you wanted.....
That was my point.
Before doing any of this, check the root ball against a real shohin pot and see if the larger roots that are already there can be removed or if the root ball is already far away from the trunk. It could take ten years to get this potted down and in some cases never just do to large roots that can't be removed or stick out keeping it from fitting because they are in the back of the tree where the pot is narrowest.
How can I ever "gain experience" without doing these things Al?
Your not "doing", your asking how to "do". If you were doing, you would just do it and learn. By the nature of asking you are not experienced. You can have posts here from Kimura and Suzuki and it will not help you when you cut it. You already know what you want to do, so just cut it and start working it. As far as the roots, I have no idea what you can do with them. If the roots are larger than 4 inches in any direction and deeper than 1 inch it will not fit into a shohin pot.
I do love your spirit though. Confidence is key.
If I had 5 JBP I would just "do" but as they are like chicken's teeth round here my scope for experimentation is limited. Like you say though, time to 'man' up and get cutting.
It croaked - our rainy, wet winters and Summers with less than amazing sunlight don't suit it.
I have since grown only Mugo and Scots Pines. Much better for our climate.
No I don't have a green house, that's one of the reasons I decided against getting another and went more with Mugo and Scots Pines - I know they can tolerate UK conditions better - cooler, moist conditions with periodic hard frosts. JBPs love heat and sun with a fairly mild & dry winter.Oh Dear! And this second half of the year its looking terrible, maybe even worse up there, for JBP that is . I though about Sylvestris or JRP but couldnt find a good shohin... Did you used a green house, growing lights or any protection? Perhaps you could help us by saying what not to do?
Thank you.