Pinching Spring vs Fall

[Nishant]

Hello Friends,

I have this Scot pine and I did pinching of candles this spring. Some of the pinched candles formed bud by August and opened into small shoots with smaller needles and if blue color, which look distinctly different from other needles.

There were some tips which I had pinched in August and they have formed new buds which are closed and will open next spring. Will these buds open and look the same blue cored or will they have green color and may be slightly smaller?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Prune! Do not "pinch" pine candles. Pinch juniper, Tsuja and such Have seen pics/trees have bluer new foliage then blue seems to wear off some after 1-2 growing seasons.

 

[just.wing.it]

Pinch juniper,

? Dont tell AdairM!

Imho, I would not cut or pinch anything in autumn.

 

[sorce]

Or spring!

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

Actually, scots is a “single flush” pine. If spring candles are too long, pinching can keep the candles from over growing. If the tree is very healthy, you might get a second bit of growth from the terminal tips in the fall.

Pinching candles, shortening them but not completely removing them, is also known as “breaking” candles.

 

[Adair M]

Pinching junipers is the subject of its own thread.

 

[Adair M]

Prune! Do not "pinch" pine candles. Pinch juniper, Tsuja and such Have seen pics/trees have bluer new foliage then blue seems to wear off some after 1-2 growing seasons.

The “prune vs pinch” depends upon the phase the pine is in. Development vs refinement.

 

[Nishant]

Actually, scots is a “single flush” pine. If spring candles are too long, pinching can keep the candles from over growing. If the tree is very healthy, you might get a second bit of growth from the terminal tips in the fall.

Pinching candles, shortening them but not completely removing them, is also known as “breaking” candles.

Thanks Adair for the reply. My tree was indeed quite healthy and quite a few blue colored shoots emerged in August. I am wondering what will the buds that did not open in August and will open in Spring next year look like? Will they be blue colored and with tiny needles or will they resemble a normal bud.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

The 'blue'' color often seen in conifers is usually due to a deposit of a white, reflective waxy coating over the needles of the new growth. For many conifers, like Scots pine, this coating is not very thick, and not tightly bonded to the needles, it usually wears off about the time the needle reaches 6 months old.

Some conifers keep this waxy coating, giving the tree a blue or gray cast to the overall appearance. Some this waxy coating wears off, or is replaced by a clear waxy coating. The term for this white wax coating is ''glaucus''.

This type of waxy coating is usually thought of as an adaptation to high elevation sun, and or wind. Most often seen in alpine trees and shrubs. A slightly different version of the same process happens with desert plants. The waxy coating becomes a defense against dehydration.

If a Scots pine is healthy, the glaucus waxy appearance, the ''blue'' look will be more noticable. If a tree that normally shows this blue suddenly stops producing this blue color, it is a sign of stress. If your tree is healthy, it should always have ''blue-ish'' new growth. If it changes, look for problems.

 

[Nishant]

Thanks Leo for the reply and sharing the knowledge.

Fortunately my tree has had this blue shoots since August and is like this until today.

Looks like I will have to wait till spring when I will get answer to my original question from my own observation.