Too young to chop?

[River's Edge]

Branches are reduced or removed if they interfere with development plans. You need to know what size and design you are developing.
Here are some reasons for removal or reduction.
1. shades out a design portion of the tree.
2. creating a thick portion or inverse taper. typically too many branches in a whorl! can be reduced over time to continue health and growth but limit developing a problem.
3. balance health, keep lower portion healthy and sacrifice leaders or branches extending.
4. Remove side branches on sacrifice leaders to focus growth on extension and thus thickening the portion below.

As too how many in a particular whorl, generally you will work down to one on the outside of the curve, however there are exceptions in normal development patterns. For example wiring one down to be a primary branch, one up to become the new apical leader and keeping one other as a continuing sacrifice branch that will be removed at a later time in addition to the current trunk apical leader. Example below shows Sacrifice branches left in areas that will not impact design, primary branches on outside curves, new apical leader with side shoots to continue taper and movement during development. The original trunk for apical leader is still in place in this young sapling example! Please keep in mind that over the years of development the cutting back of sacrifice branches and leaders will induce back budding and create needed lower foliage to complete design while the trunk is thickening and movement and taper are being added. Picture two shows further development of a tree approximately seven years of age. These are rough examples for illustration purposes not intended to show necessarily high quality at this point. Important to underline that development occurs over stages and decades. The end result is not always apparent during the process.

 

[Ruddigger]

Where in SoCal, and which club?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Keep the leader.

Keep at least the first 5 or 7 lower branches.

Get rid of the vigorous middle & upper branches that could shade out your lower branches.

Aleppo pines and other members of the Pinaster group of pines (Mediterranean pines) have 2 types of foliage. The juvenile foliage is single needles, which resembles spruce foliage at first glance. The mature foliage will be bundles of 2 needles or 3 needles. The mature needles will be about 5 inches long maybe a little longer on a young tree. With well developed branches needle length can come down to maybe 2 to 3 inches. If you stress the tree, parts may revert back to juvenile foliage. This is not a problem, mature foliage will return after the tree "recovers or settles down" after the stressor. IF the tree gets to the point where you are entering it into exhibits, it is best if all the foliage is one type. Ideally, all mature foliage. Though if you figure out how to force it to have all juvenile foliage, you could show it with all juvenile foliage. Regardless, mixed foliage is usually frowned upon at an exhibit. Otherwise, the fact that Aleppo pines can revert back to juvenile foliage after a hard pruning, or maybe after root pruning, is not really an issue, just something that makes the appearance a little disheveled.

Good news, most members of Pinaster group of pines do back bud fairly regularly, even on old wood. This means as time goes by, you can "correct mistakes" if a backbud appears somewhere useful to replace a branch that might have been screwed up. You can redesign pines from this group many years after the first design was imposed.

 

[Esolin]

You need to know what size and design you are developing.

You hit the nail on the head with this. My trouble is not being sure what I'm going for. But since it's an Aleppo, like Leo says, the mature needle length will probably only reduce to 3 inches, so I'm thinking chuhin will look more natural than shohin. Meaning the absolute lowest branches may not be utilized in the final design anyway.

Time to do some more thinking, I guess. Thanks everyone, the input it much appreciated.

Where in SoCal, and which club?

San Diego. I joined their club recently, but I get the impression that not a lot of the members work pines. Granted, there aren't a ton of pine species that do well here.

 

[River's Edge]

Meaning the absolute lowest branches may not be utilized in the final design anyway.

Keeping them for a number of years will only help increase the base. And if you go after a larger, taller format the larger base is usually very desirable.