My twenty-year-novice status is no more evident than in the Japanese black pine I am about to share with you. I grew this from seed about 15 years ago, and since I am just now figuring out what I am doing, this is far less of a tree than it might have been in more capable hands.
I have never been brave enough or informed enough to do what should be done with black pine. Do you see how insanely long the needles are in this picture from earlier this year? They can and should be far shorter!
This is the first time I have ever done proper shoot removal. In the past, I have only pinched new candles to limit how long they extended, but the needles on those candles would grow to full size. What I should be doing is removing the entire shoot of new growth in…
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Wolf's Birding and Bonsai Blog 