Too many low branches on JBP

[Fi5ch]

This ~4 year JBP has back-budded nicely, but nearly all in the same place ~5" above the soil line. The second pic taken from above shows at least 5 small branches forming like a wagon wheel around the trunk. Should I remove all but one or two of these in November to avoid inverse taper or wait until next spring?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Do you have a design already planned for the tree? If no, then keep those branches.

The low branches will help thicken the trunk, giving you taper. They will also allow you design options when you do finally design the tree.

If this tree were mine, I would pretty much leave it alone another 5 years, moving it into larger nursery pots or into the ground, then make design choices in the future. I would be a little more interested in sorting out the top of the tree, figuring out which one is the leader and which are branches. The low branches are simple and easy to sort out (keep or remove) later after they have done their job of thickening the lower trunk.

 

[_#1_]

It appears all but one lower branches are on the same plain, like a bicycle wheel. Will keeping all of them cause localize swelling? I think that's what the OP was referring to.

 

[Fi5ch]

Yes, this ^^^ was the question.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It appears all but one lower branches are on the same plain, like a bicycle wheel. Will keeping all of them cause localize swelling? I think that's what the OP was referring to.

In general on young pines, if the plan for the tree includes increasing the diameter of the trunk, by 25% or more, there is no immediate danger the wheel and spoke branches will swell the trunk. If the trunk is near finished diameter, then indeed the spoke and wheel will swell the trunk. If you are worried, reduce the number to 3 branches, one large, one medium small, one very small spare. Then when the tree has matured more into its design, then you can reduce the number of branches to the final count. It doesn't hurt to keep a spare branches around while in development phase.

To my eye, this tree is quite young, the trunk needs to be thickened up at least by 50% or more, so at this stage, the extra branches help. But if you feel the trunk is at its desired diameter, then by all means, reduce the extra branches.

 

[Potawatomi13]

With such boring straight trunk low branches very much needed. Use long top leader for trunk growth. after big enough cut off and develop lowest branch as new tree. If possible to bend lowest trunk(now)below bottom branches would be GREAT idea.

 

[Shibui]

In my experience a whorl of branches on pines will definitely create local thickening, even if the trunk is thickening fast.
It is Ok if that's higher up and you can chop it off after trunk is at required thickness and use a lower shoot for the bonsai but in this case that whorl is the lowest growth so will almost certainly be in the final design.
I would be thinning those to 1 or 2 at the most.

 

[Fi5ch]

With such boring straight trunk low branches very much needed. Use long top leader for trunk growth. after big enough cut off and develop lowest branch as new tree. If possible to bend lowest trunk(now)below bottom branches would be GREAT idea.

To thicken the trunk is it better to use a single tall sacrifice branch or leave all growth above the desired final height or anticipated future chop?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Fi5ch - after considering @Shibui 's post, I think he is offering good advice. I would reduce each whorl to one long and one small branch. Keeping a spare leaves you design options as this tree is really too young to commit to a fixed style. I would not really consider it ready for its final style until the trunk was near the diameter of a beer can. But of course you can choose to have a smaller diameter trunk.

As to a single leader up top, yes that is probably a good idea. I would not cut off the other branches, just cut the shorter, let one branch up top become the sacrifice leader. You can let the sacrifice get to 7 or 10 feet or even taller. A second branch will become the future apex of the tree. The future apex and the branches contributing to the crown will be kept compact and in range of the final size you envision for the tree. \

 

[Fi5ch]

This trunk is only 3/4" wide so it has many years to go before approaching beer can size; not sure it ever gets there in a pond basket but planting in the ground isn't an option. I'm using that time to learn how to not kill trees before I buy better material.