When to trim Larch?

[leatherback]

Hi All,

I am working on a larch I really like, and I have been told development is too slow, and I should not trim it atall during the growing season.

I am however inthe habit of trimming once I get 4-6 inches extension on the branches, and the inner foliage starts to get shaded out. I am now at that point, and I can also see the wires biting in. So I am tempted to go full steam ahead on trimming and removing the main wires. But.. I would like to develop the tree as effectively as possible.

How and when do you prune?

November 2016:


March 2018


(Today the foliage pads are merged into one, and all is getting the just-out-of-bed-hair-look)

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Pruning in summer caused some dieback for my larches. One branch was lost completely and the rest died back at least 2 buds.
I decided this year to trim in winter, repot in spring before (or just when) the buds opened, that worked out pretty well.
Bonsai mirai has a video about spring fundamentals (I'm not sure if that's the one) on youtube, in which they prune a larch during the winter dormancy.

 

[Wilson]

I trim my larch a number of times throughout the growing season. @twisted trees is the man with the award winning larch!

 

[Soldano666]

I trim my larch a number of times throughout the growing season. @twisted trees is the man with the award winning larch!

Yup, I trim right right thru summer.

 

[defra]

Lol i remember that discussion
Ill follow this with interrest!

 

[Adamantium]

I've heard you can trim/pinch back new shoots once they "look like a paintbrush," whatever that means.

Thus trimming in the summer should be fine. Structural pruning should be done in winter.

Curious to hear other opinions, though.

 

[Vance Wood]

I've heard you can trim/pinch back new shoots once they "look like a paintbrush," whatever that means.

Thus trimming in the summer should be fine. Structural pruning should be done in winter.

Curious to hear other opinions, though.

Let the new growth extend out till it looks like an artist's paint brush. Grasp it in the center and pull outward leaving about 1/3 of the new growth behind. Try not to tear the needles but break off the new growth instead. If you do this right you will be doing this all summer because the tree will continually back bud and you will continually have to pinch, and there well be no evidence that the new growth has been pinched at all.

 

[ralf]

My way:
New growth: leaving 1/3 of the new growth should be OK. Nevertheless in my oppinion it is better to wait for the new buds ( they should appear in May/June ) and cut with the respect to their position and planned design.

 

[leatherback]

Happy to see the concensus here is that trimming throughout the season is the way to go. Will continue doing what I have been doing.

Any tis how I can stp the larch thickening so quickly I have to remove the wire before the branches set?

 

[Vance Wood]

Happy to see the concensus here is that trimming throughout the season is the way to go. Will continue doing what I have been doing.

Any tis how I can stp the larch thickening so quickly I have to remove the wire before the branches set?

You have to continually rewire if you want to wire unlesss you do it in the late fall and hope the branches set by spring.

My way:
New growth: leaving 1/3 of the new growth should be OK. Nevertheless in my oppinion it is better to wait for the new buds ( they should appear in May/June ) and cut with the respect to their position and planned design.

What do you base your opinion on? Not trying to be snarky but so often I hear opinions that are second or third hand and very little that is first hand. My opinion is first hand. If you wait till the growth elongates and produced secondary buds you will always have long internodes, if you do it as described you internodes will always be short and the growth will thicken the folieage masses.

 

[Tentakelaertje]

Happy to see the concensus here is that trimming throughout the season is the way to go. Will continue doing what I have been doing.

Any tis how I can stp the larch thickening so quickly I have to remove the wire before the branches set?

This one is still alive, have been pruning throughout the growing season as well. I don't think I've ever pruned off much during dormant season actually, if at all...
3 years now Jelle, and still as happy with it as the day you gave it to me! Thanks once again!
Stop growing = stop thickening, right? Or not on larch?

 

[ralf]

What do you base your opinion on? Not trying to be snarky but so often I hear opinions that are second or third hand and very little that is first hand. My opinion is first hand. If you wait till the growth elongates and produced secondary buds you will always have long internodes, if you do it as described you internodes will always be short and the growth will thicken the folieage masses.

I have started the sentence by words: My way. There is nothing like the Best or The only way to handle pruning of larches successfully...
I hope it doesnt soud snarky.

As a seedling I am always happy to learn something new. Curious about the technique. Just to understand you correctly: You can control the lenght of internodes by cutting new shoots the way you described?

 

[Djtommy]

Here a video of Nigel Saunders trimming his larch forest.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

You have to continually rewire if you want to wire unlesss you do it in the late fall and hope the branches set by spring.

What do you base your opinion on? Not trying to be snarky but so often I hear opinions that are second or third hand and very little that is first hand. My opinion is first hand. If you wait till the growth elongates and produced secondary buds you will always have long internodes, if you do it as described you internodes will always be short and the growth will thicken the folieage masses.

Hi Vance,
This method looks like the complete opposite to other deciduous trees that you let run, let growth harden then prune back to a bud or two. After that your tree hopefully grows another spurt of growth before Autumn.
I do realize that Larches are deciduous conifers, so I can see your method regarding short internodes or am I getting confused between trees in development versus refinement ??
I hope you can explain the reasoning and whether I have understood correctly?
Charles

 

[twisted trees]

Happy to see the concensus here is that trimming throughout the season is the way to go. Will continue doing what I have been doing.

Any tis how I can stp the larch thickening so quickly I have to remove the wire before the branches set?

Larch have a very thick cambium layer which dwells up with the renewed sap glow in the spring which can cause biting in. Wire a touch more loosely.

 

[twisted trees]

You have to continually rewire if you want to wire unlesss you do it in the late fall and hope the branches set by spring.

What do you base your opinion on? Not trying to be snarky but so often I hear opinions that are second or third hand and very little that is first hand. My opinion is first hand. If you wait till the growth elongates and produced secondary buds you will always have long internodes, if you do it as described you internodes will always be short and the growth will thicken the folieage masses.

I tend to about 800 larch every year. Vance's method is the most effective for development of ramification and, curiously, trunk thickening.

 

[leatherback]

I tend to about 800 larch every year. Vance's method is the most effective for development of ramification and, curiously, trunk thickening.

Funny to see that actually, I am trimming NOT OFTEN ENOUGH.
So much fun to realize I am proven right, and still doing it wrong in the same thread on the same subject.

Scissors out. Larch.. See you tomorrow night! [... add hysterical laughter...]

 

[EPM]

@Vance Wood, @twisted trees, for the newbies and less experienced (with larch anyways), do you have a picture of what a shoot looks like that is ripe for trimming? I have some larch but got them later last year so have yet to learn their growth habit. A picture like this would be helpful. Thanks

 

[leatherback]

@Vance Wood, @twisted trees, for the newbies and less experienced (with larch anyways), do you have a picture of what a shoot looks like that is ripe for trimming? I have some larch but got them later last year so have yet to learn their growth habit. A picture like this would be helpful. Thanks

This is NOT a larch, but this is just passed the stage I was once told to prune mame & shohin Larch by an excellent larch grower, who sadly passed away a few years ago:
https://c.pxhere.com/photos/ac/d6/tree_tap_needles_nature_green_plant_forest_conifer-814024.jpg!d
Indeed, by just grabbing the tip and pulling lightly.

 

[ralf]

Larix decidua in training. Some grafts there ( Approach and thread ones in progress to explain some "strange" shoots and bends).

Please note the structure of the branch - lenght of internodes - based on cutting on buds.