Jack pine second flush
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RVMcC
Seedling
I have a Jack Pine in the Mississauga-Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) area for the past 2 yrs. It hasn't shown any signs of multi-flush.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
That's stress flush behavior we also see in sylvestris and nigra if we cut the shoots too soon. Sometimes it acts as a true double flush, other times it's a weak flush with juvenile needles. Not very reliable.
As far as I know there are three solid/true multiflush pines: JRP, JBP and Rigida.
Cosmos
Shohin
Nope, not double flush.
I have this exact cultivar in the photo, Taylor’s Sunburst. What you are seeing is not a second flush or push of growth. In fact the buds are compound as they form and those parts of the candles all grow at the same time. I have not seen this on any of my other pines but this should definitely not be confused for a second flush. Here is a photo of a compound bud from my tree so you get the idea.
You can see in the photos that the buds themselves have smaller branches or “sub-buds” forming off the primary bud and as they elongate into candles the result is apparent in the photo you posted.
MaciekA
Shohin
I have observed “pre-bifurcated / self-bifurcating / hairy-over-excited buds” on several of my p contorta multiple years in a row. I have seen the pre-bifurcation yield as many as three extra “flushes” (scare quotes because not actually flushes, see below).
Lodgepole genetics (from both ends of the high deserts, rocky and cacscade) are much more likely to do it than shore genetics (shore does it basically almost never but I may not have actually ruled out that they can’t do it, I’ve got other variables at play).
They aren’t second flushes in the bonsai sense, I would not expect them to form in response to cutting, and I think @yashu ’s description of “bud compounding” is spot on (Yashu, do you know if this is an official technical term for what’s going on by any chance?).
They are much more likely to do it when in a configuration I like to call “revved up to the absolute moon”, i.e in coarse pumice and a very airy container like a pond basket or mesh walled grow box, loaded with osmocote, and let run with vigor (not much cutback even if wiring has been done) in baking sun.
Side note: IMO this can make the age estimation of a habitually vigorous/leaping lodgepole/shore pine in the wild quite tricky since you can’t just count the whorls. Also, contorta gets started on buds so darn early compared to other pines that this behavior doesn’t surprise me anymore, especially given the mild (but with nice hot summer) climate of the PNW in some areas like the east slopes of the Cascades. If you were a pine, you’d take advantage of that eventually.
Lodgepole genetics (from both ends of the high deserts, rocky and cacscade) are much more likely to do it than shore genetics (shore does it basically almost never but I may not have actually ruled out that they can’t do it, I’ve got other variables at play).
They aren’t second flushes in the bonsai sense, I would not expect them to form in response to cutting, and I think @yashu ’s description of “bud compounding” is spot on (Yashu, do you know if this is an official technical term for what’s going on by any chance?).
They are much more likely to do it when in a configuration I like to call “revved up to the absolute moon”, i.e in coarse pumice and a very airy container like a pond basket or mesh walled grow box, loaded with osmocote, and let run with vigor (not much cutback even if wiring has been done) in baking sun.
Side note: IMO this can make the age estimation of a habitually vigorous/leaping lodgepole/shore pine in the wild quite tricky since you can’t just count the whorls. Also, contorta gets started on buds so darn early compared to other pines that this behavior doesn’t surprise me anymore, especially given the mild (but with nice hot summer) climate of the PNW in some areas like the east slopes of the Cascades. If you were a pine, you’d take advantage of that eventually.
No, this isn’t an “official” term, it just seemed the most apt descriptor at that moment.
Most of this rings true for my tree except that it’s still in nursery mix soil (fairly dense and organic) and a cut down plastic nursery can. It has been fertilized to the high heavens and our last couple seasons have been very hot and sunny. Growth has been very strong, it has only been minimally wired and had a sacrifice branch removed a couple seasons ago.
You mean, if I cut the candles too early, it will make buds at the TIP? I am told it will make buds at the base of the candle because the shoot is not mature enough to make any buds. Or I am again badly misinformated.
If it works so, even unreliably, it could be useful, because decandling is good for established trees - it reduces needle size, but (if I understood it right) it doesn't make twice as much ramification, because the second shoots grow from almost the same spot as the first ones.
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Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I think it might be wise for me to define my definitions.
A candle is a new shoot that formed this year and has not yet stopped growing and it doesn't have a terminal (end) bud yet. If you cut those as you would JBP/JRP then it can result in a second flush (formation of buds and new candles in the same year) from the base of the cut.
Long buds are not candles, long buds are not flushes. They're just long buds.
Decandling is good for multiflush species like JRP, JBP and rigida. Plants that naturally do this in the wild, sometimes even when there are no techniques applied, those three species are multi or double flush. It's not good for single flush species, like jack pine, because it forces them to regrow stuff they have invested in heavily. It weakens them a lot over time.
You can apply this technique still, but only in strong trees and only once every five or so years.
If you want ramification and small needles, consider witholding spring fertilizer (reduces needle size and shoot length), restricting root growth (also reduces needle size and shoot length) and instead if applying candle(!) cutting, try to apply shoot cutting. A shoot is a grown out candle that has fully hardened off and is somewhere between 1 and 2 months away from winter (low dormancy temps). If you cut back said shoot to a couple (5-8) needle pairs, you will likely get two or more terminal buds on that shoot, and buds further back on the branch.
This technique has worked for me on all single flush pines, thus far. But I have just 4 young jack pines, and my climate is different so I can't honestly say if the technique would work the same for you.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I do have to mention that with the shoot cutting, the resulting buds will form in fall and winter and will grow out in the next year. It's important to keep in mind that this is totally normal for single flush species and that's why people love multiflush; they develop way faster.
Once you get it I think pines can be more forgiving and reward you with quicker results than deciduous but there is the learning curve to contend with. Really though, IMHO junipers are probably the perfect tree to hone your skills.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
If you want to do more throughout the year, sure! Get a couple extra. Or get some multiflush pines for yourself.
But to me there's something special about those branches that I grew over the course of five years.
If you like conifers and want something to play with throughout the year, I can wholeheartedly advise you to get some procumbens nana junipers. They're forgiving, fast growing and are easily styled into bonsai.
