Red Pine Design

[wmthomson]

This red pine was picked up in the back of a nursery, with a lot of dead branches and was relatively unhealthy, picked up about two summers ago.

I cleared out dead branches and focused on getting it healthy.

I repotted it just this spring (Charlotte NC), and won’t do anything else to it this summer (I don’t think).

But I am starting to think through the design. The primary truck is thick and powerful, but I find the curves somewhat delicate, giving the line of the main trunk a nice juxtapositions. The question is do I take off the sharp, right angle branch coming off what I believe to be the back at a right angle off, or do I try to utilize. Two ideas are as follows, along with some other picks.

[Eastbayvet]

Ryan always says no 90 degree angle coming out of pot. Show more views. Maybe there’s a better front. Don’t cut off anything I don’t have a red pine but heard they are very brittle. The lowest branch is too straight but the upper part looks great

[moon]

I think you have a nice tree there. Base to tip is has a good wiggle in the main trunk. I think the lower branch on the right is destined to be a jin. I agree with @Eastbayvet that you should play with angle and front. Even a slight angle change with the current front gets you off 90.