JBP needle pulling

KiwiPlantGuy

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The best time for doing heavy bends is in the fall.

Is this because the trunks thicken up too fast during Spring/Summer, and I would get unwanted swelling?

I suppose everything depends on something else, and understanding what somebody else is describing or teaching. And If someone does it correctly or not, I guess.

Thanks for the link re Boon, always good to read to get more information.
Charles
 

Adair M

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Is this because the trunks thicken up too fast during Spring/Summer, and I would get unwanted swelling?

I suppose everything depends on something else, and understanding what somebody else is describing or teaching. And If someone does it correctly or not, I guess.

Thanks for the link re Boon, always good to read to get more information.
Charles
No, it’s because the trees have prepared for winter by reducing the amount of water in the cambium, causing it to be more tightly bound to the heartwood, which makes it harder to delaminate the cambium from the heartwood. So, the stress put on by bending is better tolerated.
 

River's Edge

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If you decandled, that means you’re in the refinement stage of JBP development. So, pull all the old (2017) needles. This opens the tree up to allow sunlight in to keep interior foliage alive. Also makes it easier to wire. Go thru all the new summer candles and where more than two new candles grew, thin to two. Then wire. Wiring will open up the branches, allow more sunlight which promotes backbudding at old joints.

If you did not decandled, this means you are still growing. Old needles provide more solar panels (food) for the tree to grow. Remove the downward facing needles, and thin the rest of the old needles to where you keep 1/3 to 1/2 of the old needles. Keep a pair of needles where you might want a back bud to pop. No guarantees, but sometimes a “needle bud” will pop where you leave a pair of needles. If you see a place that has 3 needles, it WILL pop a bud! Keep it if you want a new branch there. Remove it if you don’t.
I would phrase that a bit differently, a bundle with 3 needles is more ikely to produce a needle bud. In my experience it does not always happen. At this time of year i am working 100's of developing pines in my nursery and see evidence of that every day. I only mention it because i feel it is unwise to rely completely on that statement. Definitely a better bet but not guaranteed. There are several other factors at play. I keep several pair of needles in the area i would like a bud to pop. It is easy to remove any extra later if that occurs.
 
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