New to the black pine fraternity

[Joe Dupre']

I've been into bonsai for 9 years and this is my first black pine. A friend was thinning out his collection and offered it to me at a great price. It's of the thunderhead variety according to my friend. It's tall but it's healthy and the foliage is thick. Not exactly sure what I'll do, but the top 6-8" will probably be removed sometime in the future. When is the best time to do a chop like that? The trunk is about ring finger diameter at the proposed chop site.

 

[Shibui]

I'm not familiar with Thunderhead cultivar. It looks similar to Yatsubusa with lots of short buds rather than longer growth each season.
I prune pines whenever I feel the need and have the time. I have not noted any problems with Summer V Winter pruning. Pruning in Spring will give a quicker response as the tree is trying to grow then. After later Summer, Autumn and Winter pruning the tree will wait until Spring to grow again.

Just taking 6-8" off the top will still leave a pretty tall tree. Have good look lower down the trunk to see if there's a good spot to start a new apex further back.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

In your climate, anytime.