a day with Jonas Dupuich JBP Candle Cutting day

vancehanna

vancehanna

Omono
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Location
Stockton, CA
USDA Zone
9A
Had a great workshop with Jonas on Sunday with my 48yr old JBP from seedling. I decandled and trimmed and wired for 4 hrs!
Will repot in the Fall to the new angle shown and wire down the branches on the left in a more gentle curve
Pot will be a round nail keg bunjin of VH origin.

Jonas is showing how I had structured the top branch to begin the crown in a swirling or helical pattern.
IMG_4337.JPGIMG_5138.JPG
 
I am curious about your timing. You are cutting your candles a few weeks before I did (in SoCal). Do you always cut them in mid-June?
 
Hi BNut, well honestly I am following Jonas’s lead on this as last year during his blog he said it was time mid June.
Honestly it was a “he’s far more knowledgeable than I “ and although my trees from seedling are nearly a decade and a half older than he is, he has become the professional that I respect. And frankly here In N. Cal I don’t know who else to latch on to.
So, to answer your question: last year I followed and The results were perfect! See attached:IMG_4995.jpegIMG_4729.jpeg
The one with him in the photo is nearly 49 yrs from a one yr seedling…. So it will hopefully produce some very nice smaller and probably double buds tha t open in late August to be the correct size for the pads.
 
Someone told me a while back that a good time to prune a candle is when the needles are extending from the candle. Adjustments can be made depending on how vigorous you want the new growth to be. If you want longer growth, prune early. If you want shorter growth, prune later. Pruning candles shorter or longer is a way to balance the growth on the whole tree.
 
I'm curious about a lot of other timing.. I just worked with Boon yesterday, and he reiterated normal pine timing. Decandle around now, prune and wire in late fall, repot in spring always. Your climate is different and Jonas knows his stuff, but so much work in a small window and repotting out of season seems like a major risk at this point. Slow n steady..
 
Wulfskaar said:
Someone told me a while back that a good time to prune a candle is when the needles are extending from the candle. Adjustments can be made depending on how vigorous you want the new growth to be. If you want longer growth, prune early. If you want shorter growth, prune later. Pruning candles shorter or longer is a way to balance the growth on the whole tree.
Click to expand...
Decandling timing is always based on remaining growth time in the season. It's been said even on Bnut several times. Nothing to do with stage of the Spring growth, all about how much time you want/need to leave for the summer candles.

And I don't get the "shorter or longer" you mean the candle necks or treating like single flush and pinching candles?
 
littletreefarmer said:
Decandling timing is always based on remaining growth time in the season. It's been said even on Bnut several times. Nothing to do with stage of the Spring growth, all about how much time you want/need to leave for the summer candles.
Click to expand...
Yes, for JBP in the Milwaukee WI area our growing season is so short that you have to decandle by the third week of June or not at all. We often have Cali artists come in and tell us something different and our education committee reminds everyone that doesn't work for our weird climate.
 
littletreefarmer said:
Decandling timing is always based on remaining growth time in the season. It's been said even on Bnut several times. Nothing to do with stage of the Spring growth, all about how much time you want/need to leave for the summer candles.
Click to expand...
This may be true in some areas. I've seen 100 days before first frost mentioned numerous times but that is meaningless to many of our growers who never have frost.
Had discussions with a bonsai grower from Brisbane, Australia last weekend. He successfully grows JBP but says they treat them as triple flush pines and prune 3 times each season.
I guess everyone needs to find timing and techniques that work for them in their area.
 
In the Southeast (SC) I counted back 100 days from predicted first frost to Aug 6. That seems late to me, but July 22 worked out well for me last year and I’ll be out of town until July 28 this year.

I’m getting real antsy to do the thing, but I’ll hold out until after the trip.
 
Jonas wrote a very good article about decandling. It also mentions different timing in different climates.
I decandle at the beginning of June.

bonsaitonight.com

Decandling black pine bonsai - an in-depth guide - Bonsai Tonight

An in-depth guide to decandling black and red pine bonsai with how-to steps that provide all the information you'll need to get started.
bonsaitonight.com bonsaitonight.com
 
NeedlesAndLeaves said:
Jonas wrote a very good article about decandling. It also mentions different timing in different climates.
I decandle at the beginning of June.

bonsaitonight.com

Decandling black pine bonsai - an in-depth guide - Bonsai Tonight

An in-depth guide to decandling black and red pine bonsai with how-to steps that provide all the information you'll need to get started.
bonsaitonight.com bonsaitonight.com
Click to expand...
This is a great article! I was taught the "decandle different branches at different times" technique, rather than the "leaving a stub" technique. @vancehanna I am curious what technique you and Jonas used (if any). Beautiful trees, keep up the good work!
 
littletreefarmer said:
Decandling timing is always based on remaining growth time in the season. It's been said even on Bnut several times. Nothing to do with stage of the Spring growth, all about how much time you want/need to leave for the summer candles.

And I don't get the "shorter or longer" you mean the candle necks or treating like single flush and pinching candles?
Click to expand...
Actually, yes, you're right on that last point. That advice was for single-flush pines.
 
shohin_branches said:
Yes, for JBP in the Milwaukee WI area our growing season is so short that you have to decandle by the third week of June or not at all. We often have Cali artists come in and tell us something different and our education committee reminds everyone that doesn't work for our weird climate.
Click to expand...
I sometimes forget my climate is so much different than those who see the solid phase of water every year. I wouldn't say I get 3 flushes, but I definitely have a very long growing season.
 
ZombieNick said:
This is a great article! I was taught the "decandle different branches at different times" technique, rather than the "leaving a stub" technique. @vancehanna I am curious what technique you and Jonas used (if any). Beautiful trees, keep up the good work!
Click to expand...
Jonas, at this time of year had us leave a 1/8" [about 3mm]. I did this very technique last year about this time per his blog and I was quite pleased with the results. Most all produced two new buds per branch, in a few cases 3. The results were great. And by the way, all were fully extended and the floor was full with gorgeous 1" long bundles of fresh needles.

PS the two trees shown above in large photos will not be decanaled as I am happy with the length yet all that will be done is to prune outer perimeter of the pads to reduce the size.
 
Last edited:
vancehanna said:
Jonas, at this time of year had us leave a 1/8" [about 3mm]. I did this very technique last year about this time per his blog and I was quite pleased with the results. Most all produced two new buds per branch, in a few cases 3. The results were great. And by the way, all were fully extended and the floor was full with gorgeous 1" long bundles of fresh needles.

PS the two trees shown above in large photos will not be decanaled as I am happy with the length yet all that will be done is to prune outer perimeter of the pads to reduce the size.
Click to expand...
Happy with the length of what? The needles? I thought JBP needles will continue to lengthen until dormancy.
 
vancehanna said:
Jonas, at this time of year had us leave a 1/8" [about 3mm]. I did this very technique last year about this time per his blog and I was quite pleased with the results. Most all produced two new buds per branch, in a few cases 3. The results were great. And by the way, all were fully extended and the floor was full with gorgeous 1" long bundles of fresh needles.

PS the two trees shown above in large photos will not be decanaled as I am happy with the length yet all that will be done is to prune outer perimeter of the pads to reduce the size.
Click to expand...

Was there any difference between the length you left on the top shoots versus the bottom, or did you cut them all the same length? Looks like you pulled needles to balance the energy as well?
 
ZombieNick said:
Was there any difference between the length you left on the top shoots versus the bottom, or did you cut them all the same length? Looks like you pulled needles to balance the energy as well?
Click to expand...
Cut all the same length and took off every single shoot. Yes pulled needles to leave approximately seven per bud.
 
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