Leggy branches on Scot Pine.

[Nishant]

Hello Friends,

I have got this scot pine, which I believe is quite healthy from the looks of it and has a fantastic fat trunk with nice movement.

However it has leggy branches and if I want to cut back to style it, I think I have no option. I had this tree for three years and all these branches were there when I bought it. I assume these branches ( the smooth ones ) would be at least six years old? My question is Will the Scot Pine ever back bud on those branches. Is my only option to do some grafting?

Many Thanks for suggestions and advise.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Have you tried any bonsai techniques on it, like cutting back new growth in fall?
I have had scots bud back on old wood, but six years old wood is.. Might be a bit too old. With some cut backs I was able to enforce some already formed buds on 4-5 year old wood but it didn't produce a whole lot of new buds on that wood, maybe two or three on 20 or so branches. I'm consistently keeping it in check though, hoping to chase it back further. You could try that first before you start grafting. Some scots pines are more prone to backbud than others.

 

[Djtommy]

styling your tree, opening it up to the light and also the bending of branches will stimulate backbudding aswell

 

[Adair M]

The canopy is shading the woody branches. By wiring and styling, you’ll expose the branches to the sun, which can stimulate backbudding. Without direct sun on the branches, they won’t backbud.

 

[M. Frary]

You can stimulate copious back budding on Scots pine by cutting the shoots back into the previous years growth.
In early fall.
Fertilize heavily afterward.

 

[Nishant]

You can stimulate copious back budding on Scots pine by cutting the shoots back into the previous years growth.
In early fall.
Fertilize heavily afterward.

I read about this in one of the threads here.
Can I not do this now? Spring is still at least three months away!!

 

[penumbra]

I cut mine back in August and got good bud formation but not on older wood. I think it is too late in the season now to expect anything.

 

[sorce]

Can I not do this now?

You won't be triggering anything now. At least, not that will be active enough to utilize by the time you need to.

The tree won't "see" the trigger till spring when it is pouring sap out of the cuts. It will grow in spring and rate that growth, then decide wether it can invest in new buds. If it does, it will likely be on already successful New growth. You'll get more healthy buds where you don't want them.

If you wait till right before the tree was going to set buds for next year, there is no where left to make the buds Except old wood.

Seems you gotta go hard as hell, and take every branch back to one good tuft of foliage, just for sap draw, and watch it pop.

Which it will. It seems happy Af!

Pics look like a different tree!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

I read about this in one of the threads here.
Can I not do this now? Spring is still at least three months away!!

Not unless you live in the southern hemisphere.
You do this operation when the tree is starting to set buds for the next year. Late summer/early fall.
If you cut now you run the risk of severely weakening the tree and won't accomplish anything else.
It's hard waiting. I know.
But there are proper times to do certain things to trees to get certain reactions.
If this were my tree I would fertilize the crap out of it as soon as I saw buds swelling in the spring. Get it cranking then cut the shoots off in early fall.
All or most of them.
This will force a pine to backbud.
Scots pine seem to take to this very well and will push buds out everywhere.
Mugo and jack too but to a lesser degree.