Just pruned back shoots on jbp

[kale]

These are in their 4th summer, ordered from @cmeg1 in spring 2020. Trying to build up ramification down low and thicken the trunks at the same time. Hope I get lots of backbudding. Tips/advice would be much appreciated!

 

[cmeg1]

Nice!
How is the nebari?

 

[namnhi]

I don't see anything wrong with what you did other than putting it in the ground or big grow pot if you want larger trunk. I grow all of my pine in pot/pond basket and they don't trunk up that much.

 

[WavyGaby]

I don't see anything wrong with what you did other than putting it in the ground or big grow pot if you want larger trunk. I grow all of my pine in pot/pond basket and they don't trunk up that much.View attachment 497874

Nice collection of pines. How old are they? I am on my second year from seed obsession.

 

[namnhi]

Nice collection of pines. How old are they? I am on my second year from seed obsession.

These are 16 or 17 years old. These were started from a one year old seedlings I bought from Matt O.

 

[kale]

Nice!
How is the nebari?

One is hard to tell (the bigger of the two), but the other is coming along nicely!

 

[kale]

I don't see anything wrong with what you did other than putting it in the ground or big grow pot if you want larger trunk. I grow all of my pine in pot/pond basket and they don't trunk up that much.View attachment 497874

Im afraid to put them in the ground in my climate. I have read lots on here that they grow pretty slow in pots, so I’m prepared for the long haul. These seem to be growing faster than avg jbp saplings thanks to all the techniques cmeg1 used when starting them. They’re about 1.5” thick at the base and 3’ tall already!

 

[namnhi]

Im afraid to put them in the ground in my climate. I have read lots on here that they grow pretty slow in pots, so I’m prepared for the long haul. These seem to be growing faster than avg jbp saplings thanks to all the techniques cmeg1 used when starting them. They’re about 1.5” thick at the base and 3’ tall already!

You are ahead of the game if you able to get 1.5 in under 4 year grow.

 

[kale]

You are ahead of the game if you able to get 1.5 in under 4 year grow.

Good to know, thanks! Any insights on trimming these little guys? I know this early in development you’re supposed to let things grow if you want a thick trunk but you have to start working on ramification and the low branches early too, so its been confusing for me.

 

[KikurageOtomo]

Japanese Black Pines are a multi-flush pine, if you want to fully incur ramification and back-budding I believe de-candling when their first flush of growth comes out would be the way to go. Otherwise if you want to singularly focus on developing the nebari and trunk, allowing them to run wild longer would likely be the move.

 

[namnhi]

Good to know, thanks! Any insights on trimming these little guys? I know this early in development you’re supposed to let things grow if you want a thick trunk but you have to start working on ramification and the low branches early too, so its been confusing for me.

Looks like you already have your sacrificial branch going so smaller branches closer to the ground can be decandled so the grow will not be too far from the trunk. I didn't employ the sacrificial branch technique so every branch is small proportionally to the trunk.