Northeast JBP Decandling timeframe

[stewarjm192]

When do you all start the decandling process on your JBP in the northeast? Do you stagger your shoots by strength? Or prune all shoots in one session?

 

[Dav4]

I don’t live there anymore, but if I did, I would cut all the candles on your Japanese black pine about 100 days from your expected first frost.

 

[Paradox]

When do you all start the decandling process on your JBP in the northeast? Do you stagger your shoots by strength? Or prune all shoots in one session?

I do mine all in one session and cut to leave a length of stem depending on the strength of the shoot.

Candle cutting: Last week of June/First week of July
Since you are upstate, I would do it the last week of June.
I do mine the first week of July down here on Long Island.

Cut all at once:
Weak: Leave 1-2mm
Medium: Leave 2-4 mm
Strong Leave: 5 mm (1/4 of an inch)
Pull up and down needles

 

[stewarjm192]

I do mine all in one session and cut to leave a length of stem depending on the strength of the shoot.

Candle cutting: Last week of June/First week of July
Since you are upstate, I would do it the last week of June.
I do mine the first week of July down here on Long Island.

Cut all at once:
Weak: Leave 1-2mm
Medium: Leave 2-4 mm
Strong Leave: 5 mm (1/4 of an inch)
Pull up and down needles

So you leave more stub on strong shoots, aka, leave more auxin to limit new growth?

 

[Paradox]

So you leave more stub on strong shoots, aka, leave more auxin to limit new growth?

The theory is that a longer stub takes longer to die back so the auxin activity is delayed.
IE that shoot takes a bit longer to form buds so should not be as strong.
The smaller ones grow first and gives them a little more strength to start off.

If you prefer you can time cutting based on strength
week one cut the weak areas
week 2 cut the medium areas
week 3 cut the strong areas

 

[stewarjm192]

The theory is that a longer stub takes longer to die back so the auxin activity is delayed.
IE that shoot takes a bit longer to form buds so should not be as strong.
The smaller ones grow first and gives them a little more strength to start off.

If you prefer you can time cutting based on strength
week one cut the weak areas
week 2 cut the medium areas
week 3 cut the strong areas

Alternatively, we could cut all to the same length on the same day, if we shortened the candles earlier in the season to level out their vigor, with additional needle plucking if needed

 

[Paradox]

Alternatively, we could cut all to the same length on the same day, if we shortened the candles earlier in the season to level out their vigor, with additional needle plucking if needed

If everything is equal strength, yes.
Even if you pinched the candles earlier, you can still see different areas of strength sometimes. We need to learn to really look at a tree and recognize how it is growing throughout the tree.