My Very 1st JBP

[just.wing.it]

Got down to the Arboretum this morning a little earlier than I expected, Meehan's already had everything out... so did a few others.
I was out of there before 9am so I didn't get a chance to look at the trees on display today.

It was definitely a smaller event this year, but it was nice... plenty of good starter material, and some more advanced material as well, out of my price range.

Anyway, to the point now!
I found what I was looking for, there were several to choose from... maybe 6 or 7...


I do like the little wiggle and dead part at the base....
But this tree is my Learning JBP Tree.

Any and all comments welcome!

 

[just.wing.it]

The lovely lady who sold it to me, Martha I believe is her name, said that it's ready for decandling now.

As far as that goes, I am interested in learning how to chase it back to make a small tree.
There are a few spots that can be more than decandled, cut back....

My goal is to chase it back to the point that I get buds popping from the trunk, to build a smaller tree, eventually.

How easily is that accomplished?

What if I let it grow for a while to thicken before chasing back???

Does decandling slow thickening of the trunk??? Or speed it up???

@Adair M, I think of you when I think about JBP....any good advice for a JBP noob?

And also, i meant to post these tag pics too, fwiw...

 

[Wilson]

Nice little starter! I would check out @Brian Van Fleet blog, there's some great articles on there. I imagine it might be a tree to practice grafting on as well. I am hoping to learn more about grafting pines.

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice little starter! I would check out @Brian Van Fleet blog, there's some great articles on there. I imagine it might be a tree to practice grafting on as well. I am hoping to learn more about grafting pines.

Mmm, yes indeed, thanks for that thought Wilson!

 

[LanceMac10]

don't do anything yet. I'm a think on it and I'm drinking so this could take a bit.....

 

[M. Frary]

don't do anything yet. I'm a think on it and I'm drinking so this could take a bit.....

Shocker!

 

[just.wing.it]

don't do anything yet. I'm a think on it and I'm drinking so this could take a bit.....

Likewise

 

[LanceMac10]

 

[just.wing.it]

View attachment 196039

Hahaha

 

[LanceMac10]

Honestly, it's not as bad as you'd think...….but it is brother Johnnies birthday today!

 

[just.wing.it]

Honestly, it's not as bad as you'd think...….but it is brother Johnnies birthday today!

View attachment 196040

I'm right there with you buddy!

 

[namnhi]

I don't see any branch down low bro. The first whorl is s bit too high for my liking. Also I don't see much movement in the trunk either. Hope you didn't pay much for it.
At this point, I would pick a sacrifice branch and let it grow while decandle the rest. This one will have to be large tree.

 

[just.wing.it]

I don't see any branch down low bro. The first whorl is s bit too high for my liking. Also I don't see much movement in the trunk either. Hope you didn't pay much for it.
At this point, I would pick a sacrifice branch and let it grow while decandle the rest. This one will have to be large tree.

It's not gonna be a show stopper, ever.
But I got it to learn JBP techniques on.
I'm wondering if I can chase it back to get new buds down low....
Do you know if that's possible?

 

[just.wing.it]

It's tall and skinny with no taper.
But I've heard these trees grow fast...

 

[Nybonsai12]

save the cones for the Mikawa seeds!

 

[Adair M]

This won’t ever be a small tree. Think big!

Why?

Look at how long it is from nebari to first branch. Unless I’m missing something, there are no internodes between the nebari and first branch. So to get a branch in there you’re going to have to graft.

Assuming no grafting, the next branch should be up higher, about 2/3 further up. And the next 2/ higher still. All those 2/3 add up to “tall”.

Decandling is a refinement technique. Trunks don’t thicken once you start decandling.

 

[just.wing.it]

This won’t ever be a small tree. Think big!

Why?

Look at how long it is from nebari to first branch. Unless I’m missing something, there are no internodes between the nebari and first branch. So to get a branch in there you’re going to have to graft.

Assuming no grafting, the next branch should be up higher, about 2/3 further up. And the next 2/ higher still. All those 2/3 add up to “tall”.

Decandling is a refinement technique. Trunks don’t thicken once you start decandling.

Alright, that's helpful, thanks!

I'll have to get it in the ground next year....

 

[Jim G]

This won’t ever be a small tree.

Decandling is a refinement technique. Trunks don’t thicken once you start decandling.

If a sacrifice branch is left alone wont the trunk still thicken?

 

[Adair M]

The trunk will thicken if you don’t decandle the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the tallest part of the tree.

If the whole tree is decandled, all the trees resources will be spent in replacing those lost needles. (Its solar panels.) There will be little energy (resources) left to build a lot of wood.

Here is a video by Dan Robinson doing a critique of my JBP show tree. I had decandled it 4 or 5 years in a row to get the needles and internodes short to display at the Nationals.

Since that video was made, I filled the two cavities he was complaining about (which were
made years prior to my ownership) with the soft putty kind of cut paste. And the tree naturally sluffs off bark from time to time. So, I carefully fitted little pieces of bark over the putty. If he saw it today, he wouldn’t notice them. AND, since I put the putty there, the cavities are closing!

He’s right about the trunk not getting any thicker. At least, not noticeably.

 

[just.wing.it]

The trunk will thicken if you don’t decandle the sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the tallest part of the tree.

If the whole tree is decandled, all the trees resources will be spent in replacing those lost needles. (Its solar panels.) There will be little energy (resources) left to build a lot of wood.

Here is a video by Dan Robinson doing a critique of my JBP show tree. I had decandled it 4 or 5 years in a row to get the needles and internodes short to display at the Nationals.

Since that video was made, I filled the two cavities he was complaining about (which were
made years prior to my ownership) with the soft putty kind of cut paste. And the tree naturally sluffs off bark from time to time. So, I carefully fitted little pieces of bark over the putty. If he saw it today, he wouldn’t notice them. AND, since I put the putty there, the cavities are closing!

He’s right about the trunk not getting any thicker. At least, not noticeably.

Nice work on that tree Adair, can you tell me what you think about Mr Robinson's critique? Mainly about the concave cut versus a small stubby jin...?