De-shooting trials for Pacific Northwest conifers

[Cruiser]

2025

5 trees in good health
(four noble firs and one Douglas-fir)
had new growth tips removed early-mid 2025 grow season. Timing for shoot removal varied by tree. All were kept in full sun.


Deshoot dates

-Small leaning noble fir: May 16
(shoots starting to elongate, tufted appearance, soft, no backbone stem)


-Amanita noble fir: June 8
(shoots mostly extended, backbone soft with small developing internodal buds)


-Douglas-fir: June 8
(shoots partly extended, soft with small developing internodal and terminal buds)

-Hit and run noble fir: June 20
(shoots almost fully extended, backbone hardening…had to upgrade to scissors from small shears, internodal and terminal buds soft, green, conspicuous)

-Squiggly noble fir duo: July 5
(full extension shoots, hardening off, internodal and terminal buds browning up/beginning to harden)




Summarized findings

All trees produced a second flush of growth.

Noble fir:
-Trees de shooted mid May - early June produced the best response… a second flush of fully formed, smaller-than-average size needles, hardened off within the grow season. Additional unopened buds formed on bare wood.
May 16 result.

June 8

-Late June (6/20) deshoot resulted in a mediocre second flush. Growth was not evenly distributed across the whole tree. Needles and shoots are shorter. Lighter in color. Not all new growth appears to have hardened off completely. Though the fir produced many more buds, not all opened this season and some growth did not have enough time to fully elongate.

-July 5th de shooting caused a minor/spotty flush of new growth. It does not appear fully formed and may not be completely hardened. More buds were set that did not elongate this season.


Douglas-fir:
-Removing new growth in early June caused the tree to produce more buds and grow a second flush of shorter nodes with normal-sized needles. New growth mostly emerged from cut grow tips and preexisting interior buds. Many new buds that did not open formed on bare wood.

 

[Cruiser]

Pictures and Details

Small leaner nf:
5/16 Deshoot. Leave apex and few inner shoots.
Before:

After shoot removal:


6/11 new growth emerging (26 days)


7/2 new growth throughout tree


8/6 second flush hardening off


8/8 start experimental ground layer


11/7 end of season result

Foliage hardened. Shoot length is shorter than usual, but final needle size is bigger compared to preexisting needles and only modestly smaller than “normal sized”.

 

[Cruiser]

Small Amanita nf:
6/8 Deshoot. Leave apex.
Before:

After shoot removal


7/2 new growth emerging from cut site (24 days)


7/16


9/14 good distribution of second growth


11/7 end of season result. New growth hardened off

Second flush needles are more pointed, radially arranged.
Many new buds formed.

 

[Cruiser]

Douglas-fir
6/8 Deshoot new growth except for some leaders and a few inner shoots.
Before:

After shoot removal


7/2 new growth starting to show (24 days)


7/11 new growth emerging (33days)


9/14
Second flush has finished elongating.


10/18 Many backbuds have formed. Second flush shoots are hardened off. Nodes are shorter with only slightly smaller needles.

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Thanks for documenting your experimentation Alan, very interesting and informative.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That's good stuff, thanks for sharing!

 

[Cruiser]

Hit and run noble fir
6/20 Deshoot. Leader left alone.
Before:

After shoot removal:


7/16 new growth starting to emerge from bud sites (26 days)

8/8 small shoots emerging. In most places growth is smaller and more tufted in appearance. Not as strong second flush response compared to trees de-shooted earlier.


8/24


11/7: end of season result: foliage mostly hardened. Second flush is smaller and light in color, much shorter nodes with needles radially arranged stem. Some shoots did not fully elongate. Seems like the second flush came more from preexisting buds than from the formation and extension of new buds along deshooted tips.


A pair of residual first-flush needles compared to the second flush of foliage.

 

[Cruiser]

Small squiggly duo noble firs:
7/5 Deshoot and a few pruned branches. Kept some inner shoots. Leaders retained.

Before:


After shoot removal:


9/11 second flush slower to emerge than it was on trees deshooted earlier. (67 days post removal)


11/7: end of season result: lackluster second flush. Needles are dinky and light. Very short node extension. Epicormic buds formed to open next year.
Overall, these trees did not seem as interested in producing a second flush. Maybe they were weaker to begin with. Maybe there was not enough time left in the growing season.

Deshooted growth tip with very weak second growth.

 

[Cruiser]

Thanks for documenting your experimentation Alan, very interesting and informative.

Good material in your neck of the woods. Are you working with many native species?

 

[Cruiser]

2025 Thoughts/observations:

At time of deshooting, all trees were in good health but not what I’d consider vigorous. (Vigorous being damn happy. Trees with a lot of foliage, robust needles, plentiful buds, and long shoot lengths distributed across the whole canopy.)
My trees were a season behind that in terms of strength.
Vigorous trees might produce better results than what was observed.

Second flush NF foliage reduced in needle size and shoot length the longer deshooting was delayed; to a point where a tree might not produce a second flush.

NF are known for good needle retention, one reason they are regarded as a premier Christmas tree species. They produce high quality, long lasting, moisture retentive needles which presumably take longer to grow.

DF and NF probably should not be deshooted every season, but I can’t say for sure. If early growth looks strong next year, I may try it on one of the these trees again

Sample size is low. More testing and documentation is needed.

Going forward, the plan is to continue treatments like this, tweaking variables and utilizing different species.
A goal is to find the best method(s) and timing to produce very small needles and expedite ramification on Pacific Northwest conifers.