Scots pine cluster of buds!

How should i deal with these cluster of buds? I was thinking pruning the shoots after they have hardened off?

I live in Scotland

let them run if your tree is in development. like you sayed, prune them to a lateral pair of two after hardening off and shorten them to lenght. You will earn a bunch of back budding if your fertilaziation was appropiate.
Best
Balatus

Yeh i thought i was correct. Any reason why i got 5 buds in that location? Other candles have got 2 or 3.

Hi.
It’s basically a indication of a very strong branch. There is a hormone called auxin that suppresses the lower branches cause the tree wants to be a big tree. Usually the apical candels will grow much longer than the lower ones. If you don’t need any more trunk thickness you could pinch those long strong apical candels to redirect strength to inner and lower branches and then treat the rest of the tree with the harden off cutting technique you described. However you won’t get as many backbudds on the branches you pinch as had you let them grow.

A tree is most of the time in a combination of development and refinement so you could apply different techniques to achieve what you are trying to achieve.

So, these 5 candles will become five different branches. When you go back in to prune them after they harden, or at some pointshortly after that, you should prune off completely 3 if these branches, leaving two. This will ensure that you won’t get an ugly bulge in your trunk and reverse taper. And is aesthetically what we are after in bonsai, you will avoid “bar” branches.

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Like to thank both of you for your response. I will be removing 3 of the shoots. But i just need to pick what two i’m leaving

Clean… acute angles, in the direction you want growth. Leave two. Remember, you can direct/ rotate the growth now or later. Not up/ down. (Unless it is apical). BTW…nice growth. If the buds don`t elongate, dont trim them.(or much). Been doing my scots pine…

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Thanks.

So what work have you been doing?

Flipping buds. The pines went from nubbins to candles in three days. Just looked at my large scots. 4 to 5 on each limb end… Just like yours.
Really loving this whole ‘balance of oxygen and air’ thing…
Still trying to ignore the female blossoms on my ponderosas. Size of your little finger…

Here is my Scotspine. My teacher has alot of options on a design. But i’m asking should i prune those candles once opened to redirect priority to the interior buds.

If you let them elongate and harden you can prune them at that point IF you have visible buds further back. If you prune and don’t have any adventurous buds you won’t gain anything.
So prune after they harden if you have visible buds otherwise let them be to accumulate as much “traffic” as possible to get backbudding and then prune the following year.
Never prune before they have hardened. You can pinch now to redirect energy to buds that haven’t started to elongate yet, refinement technique.

In the following stream Ryan goes over different pines and different techniques in different stages.
https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/multi-flush-pines
And here is a stream featuring a pinus sylvestris.
https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/pinus-sylvestris
Hope this helps!

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Ryan mentioned we don’t pluck needles on single flush pines to balance the energy?

So would the above described also appply to other single flush pines? I have two bristlecones that I not sure how to approach. (Nursey stock)

And would this also apply to spruce (CBS) ?

I have no idea. I’m just a newb.

But i’m sure Ryan neil mentions the different techniques need to be applied if its short or long needle pines.

Short needle single flush pines can be treated the way described. Long needle pine is a different story, not sure if bristlecones are short or long.
https://live.bonsaimirai.com/archive/video/bristlecone-pine
Watch that stream and you’ll likely get your answers.

No do not pluck needles on single flush pines, exception being needles hanging off the bottom to clean up the pads

I’ve been maintaining my large scots pine by breaking the buds by about 2/3 as they elongate >1/2" from top to bottom of tree. Leaving adout 6 needle sets. The 1:1:1 soil and organig fertilizer gets great growth/ buds.


On my 10" scots the internode would be 6" if i dont do it this way.
I’m maintaining and designing. NOT growing larger trees.

So what is your main reason you pluck needles? I know Ryan neil mentions you don’t pluck needles to redistribute the energy like multi flush pines. Is it to let in air and light and to force buds to grow in that area?

Have a read of this guys.

http://bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPine%20Pruning%202%20page2.html

Hmmmmmm… (Bonsai 4 me)NOT ALL PINES will respond well to these generalites… maybe scotts?
Listen to the Mirai videos. :wink: ooohm…