If I choose not to completely remove candles, what happens if you just cut particularly long candles in half? Will you still get new latent buds below your cut?
Yes, you will get new buds where you cut the candle, provided there are needles below that point and it is not just bare neck of the candle. In that case it will die back to the next shoot. In this case it may trigger some back budding further back on the branch.
If you follow Adam's suggestion of cutting back into the old needles ( still healthy though) then you will get new buds at that point and are more likely to get a stronger back budding response further back on the branch. Even more improved chance if also thin and wire down the branch, allowing more light and air movement.
if you want a very clear and detailed explanation and demonstration of Decandling techniques for JBP. Order the DVD material from Boon and follow his guidance step by step.
www.bonsaiboon.com
Set of three are available! Decandling Japanese Black Pine, Fall Maintenance Japanese Black Pine, Wiring& Styling Japanese black Pine.
One of the key aspects of instruction involves clarifying what is appropriate for trees in training as opposed to mature or refined trees. This is where Boon's instructions excel along with basic and essential wiring techniques. ( an extra DVD that is include free with the Wiring and Styling Japanese Black Pine DVD.