Help with Jack Pine (schoodic)

[PierreR]

I have a water soluble evergreen/cedar fertilizer 30/10/10... which also has a good quantity of trace elements. Will fertilize every second week. Going to look for the insecticide this week. The nursery is on my way home from work.

 

[PierreR]

I would give it Bayer Advanced 12 month tree and shrub insect control II at the rate of 5 tsp per gallon--soak it good. I would not worry about the lesions--it may have been mechanical damage anyway besides entrenched nasty fungus like that is hard to fully eliminate, either way I would wait until next year to even thing about a systemic fungicide this year. Keep in mind Jacks are more of a pest and disease pine than many so keep your eye peeled. Then work up to a regiment of consistent strong fertilization. If it responds to mild fertilization wait a bit and then give it increasingly stronger amounts every 1-1/2 or 2 weeks. Shallow yogurt cups with lots of 7/64th drill holes in the bottom and your favorite organic fert like Dr. Earth or Plan-tone works to. If it is super robust and responds well one could even contemplate a post hardened shoot reduction--Jacks are pretty vigorous, or wait another season--the problem is, the longer you wait to do PHSR the more elongated and gangly the bush will become. In development fert and PHSR are important growing thing--timed branch reduction (and strategic removals) and preliminary wire is the sculptural thing, anyway that's my take.

At what time of year, or stage of development of this years candle growth, would I be looking at reduction/pinching/pruning, to start the promotion of back budding? Its looking quite healthy right now, apart from having needles knocked off by hail. The fertilizer is having a visible effect for the positive. Greening up, no yellowing needles.

Just asking so I don't miss the timing.

 

[crust]

At what time of year, or stage of development of this years candle growth, would I be looking at reduction/pinching/pruning, to start the promotion of back budding? Its looking quite healthy right now, apart from having needles knocked off by hail. The fertilizer is having a visible effect for the positive. Greening up, no yellowing needles.

Just asking so I don't miss the timing.

Post hardened shoot reduction timing has numerous variables such as climate, growing season, specific tree strength --here in zone 3 in MN shoots harden up by early to mid July. Letting the tree fully expand its candles and letting them transform into fully formed shoots gains a lot of energy for the tree. What you are trying to do is wait until the response is bud setting not more candling.