Suggestions on a JBP

[AriesMS]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and i am looking for some advices on a JBP i bought a couple of days ago at a nursery. I was hoping to thicken the trunk of this guy so i shift potted it in a bigger plastic container in purmice akadama and lava rock mixture. However i realized that it has some potentially severe reverse tapering issues coming up. There are multiple branches in the nodes as seen in the pics. The lowest branches i am intending to keep as sacrifices. I am wondering if i should let it grow or cut the branches in the whorls to reduce inverse taper. I have read many resources saying that to thicken up the trunk i should just leave pruning and let it grow. What do you guys think? Any suggestions are valuable.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

The tree doesn't look very strong due to the sparse needles and it doesn't have very strong candles from the looks of it. This means trunk thickening isn't happening fast and you can probably wait another year, maybe even two.

You just repotted out of season, so I'd wait it out and see how it responds.
In general, we try to not 'insult' our pines too much.

Just to make sure: you're keeping it outdoors and that pot has holes, right?

 

[vancehanna]

Wires is right: pine don’t take to insults well.
They just up and die.

Leave it be in full sun and watch the water. They love to be dried out and then fully watered.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Telling beginners let tree dry out begets dead trees. With good drainage keep damp/never dry. Good drainage being key.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and i am looking for some advices on a JBP i bought a couple of days ago at a nursery. I was hoping to thicken the trunk of this guy so i shift potted it in a bigger plastic container in purmice akadama and lava rock mixture. However i realized that it has some potentially severe reverse tapering issues coming up. There are multiple branches in the nodes as seen in the pics. The lowest branches i am intending to keep as sacrifices. I am wondering if i should let it grow or cut the branches in the whorls to reduce inverse taper. I have read many resources saying that to thicken up the trunk i should just leave pruning and let it grow. What do you guys think? Any suggestions are valuable.

Welcome. It is not strong, so nothing should be done now. However, in the fall, reduce any cluster of multiple shoots down to one or two. A couple branches which should be removed in particular are marked with a red X.

In areas you want a sacrifice branch to run and allow thickening, leave a short shoot next to the sacrifice branch as a final branch, and label the sacrifice branch with a piece of wire or twist-tie so you don’t accidentally prune it off. Sacrifice branches are left in place for several years.

For now, watch the water, don’t drown it and don’t let it dry out completely. Keep it outside in full sun, and feed it well.

 

[AriesMS]

The tree doesn't look very strong due to the sparse needles and it doesn't have very strong candles from the looks of it. This means trunk thickening isn't happening fast and you can probably wait another year, maybe even two.

You just repotted out of season, so I'd wait it out and see how it responds.
In general, we try to not 'insult' our pines too much.

Just to make sure: you're keeping it outdoors and that pot has holes, right?

Yep, the container has a couple of holes at the bottom and i added a few more just to improve the aeration. I am keeping it outside on the balcony in full sun now. I guess i will wait for a few seasons and see how it goes.

 

[AriesMS]

Welcome. It is not strong, so nothing should be done now. However, in the fall, reduce any cluster of multiple shoots down to one or two. A couple branches which should be removed in particular are marked with a red X.
View attachment 380604
In areas you want a sacrifice branch to run and allow thickening, leave a short shoot next to the sacrifice branch as a final branch, and label the sacrifice branch with a piece of wire or twist-tie so you don’t accidentally prune it off. Sacrifice branches are left in place for several years.

For now, watch the water, don’t drown it and don’t let it dry out completely. Keep it outside in full sun, and feed it well.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be leaving the tree to recover for the time being.

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Or, assume that your tree is just the first branch, and everything else is a sacrifice.

No reverse taper whatsoever then.

 

[sorce]

First 2 Branches!

That's a great start!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Oh plus.....

I agree with @Potawatomi13 , especially in a plastic tub, which will never really "dry" towards the bottom, but it will keep getting hot and soggy.

This mismatched unequal drying would make it even worse and more dangerous.

The other day I was thinking, if a tree can be watered, and wet, at one point in time, why would it it not be able to cope with being wet all the time?

I think we underestimate their ability to adapt.

Sorce

 

[Adair M]

Sacrifice “branches” work best if you think of them as being sacrifice “trunks”. Which are let to grow for several years, then removed. And then a branch is selected to become the next “sacrifice trunk” and left to grow for several years. Then, it’s removed, and the process is repeated. Over and over, until you have produced the thickness and taper that you want.

Trying to thicken the trunk by letting low branches grow out wide just doesn’t work well, the tree puts on wood to to support the height of the highest part of the tree. They (pines especially) are genetically programmed to grow tall. And grow tall fast. In the wild, they are trying to out-compete their neighbors and reach the sky. So, whatever bud is the highest becomes dominant, and it produces hormones that direct the tree to support it. Which includes building wood to support the trunk holding it up.

It’s NOT about how much foliage the sacrifice branch or trunk has. It’s all about the sacrifice having the dominant position (height) to produce the hormone that tells the tree to build wood.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Or, assume that your tree is just the first branch, and everything else is a sacrifice.

No reverse taper whatsoever then.

View attachment 380607

Eventually once tree strengthens and trunk grows 100% agree with this idea training branch as rest of tree grows trunk.