Oh yea def bushy now. I skipped decandling and really want it to build up some steam. Below the crown is super dense. In fall after old needles are pulled I think with some more wire it will look sorted. That lowest branch is a problem. I don’t think it will ever be a good first branch but I’m not I’d be happy with the empty spot it would leave behind.
Very nice JBP! I have a few comments about it that I would consider if it were my tree, and it may appear that I’m being overly critical. Please don’t be offended, I’m just trying to help elevate the tree to the next level.
Good idea to give the tree a rest from decandling every so often, I’m giving my avatar tree a break this year, too!
And now for the critique:
That lowest branch on the right: it looks to be shaded by the branches above, and it appears to be moving towards the back.
It’s wired, can you redirect it so that it’s brought more forward? And move the branch above it to the back so that it’s not shaded? That would make it a better first branch. It appears to be coming off the outside of the curve, which is good.
The foliage on the left is getting to much, too visually heavy, and the branches are too long for the size of the trunk. Don’t get me wrong, I love bushy, dense JBP. But the foliage has to be consistent with the trunk a really massive trunk can visually support long dense branches. A tall thin trunk should have short sparce branches. Yours is in the middle, as trunk girth goes, and so is like to see a bit shorter on the branches. (It’s not the needle length, it’s the BRANCHES are too long)!
And then, the potting placement. You have it potted on the right side on the pot, which is ok if you want to keep the left as the key branch. If you want to make the lowest right branch the key branch, move it to the other side of the pot.
Again, I think you’ve done a great job with this JBP! Addressing the issues I noticed would bring it along even further!