Can anyone offer some advice for a Black Pine

Can anyone offer me some advice on how to reduce the size of the needles on my black pine. I'm trying to develop a few pads of needles, but i want to be sure the proper way to manage needle size and pruning techniques. thank you much

Lawrence

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It looks like you don't have many fine branches. If I understand correctly, more fine branches with needles at the end equals more photosynthetic material for the tree, therefore the needles are able to be shorter. If someone else on here doesn't post pruning advice, I can post what is in my stone lantern pine book.

Watch these Ryan Neil videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1FiRw2JBo and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ngvzuN-F4

I hope this is not a repeat. The standard approach to increase ramification and shorten needles for strong black pine is decandling. Both Michael Hagedorn http://crataegus.com/ and Jonas Dupuich http://bonsaitonight.com/ are currently discussing this topic in their blogs.

Those videos of Ryan's really say it all, thanks very much for your replies

Lawrence

Assuming that you fed this tree heavily so far this year. Now is the time to cut off all of the candles (unless you want to extend a branch) down to where they started. Then they will form new clusters of buds which will grow, develop this Summer, and the needles will be much smaller.