Bought half dozen Ponderosa Pine seedlings from a nursery in Wyoming. Planted them in one gallon pots. They all survived the summer and are basically bean poles. Some have budding at the base, some don’t. What do I do next with them this coming spring? They weren’t expensive, I’m willing to experiment.
I would give them lots of movement. Reduce the height to 1/4 - 1/3 the current length through bending. The ones with budding may get cut back to some buds. The others may bud or just end up with very twisted trunks. Strip the bark off of about 1/3 the diameter of a true beanpole before bending and make sure you twist as you bend to create some shari that twists around the trunk. I would put them in a grow bag or a wider, shallower pot in 2026 with some root work. Long term project.
MartyWeiser thanks, I’ll try some of that.
It’s worth listening to the telperian farms field growing pod cast