I’ve been working on the cork bark black pine below for about twenty years. It’s had it’s ups and downs but had filled in enough in recent years that it felt like a good time to thin the tree. The idea is that by reducing the needles on the upper branches I can help the lower branches get more sunlight and maintain vigor. (For details about what the tree looked like when I started working on it, see “Increasing density on a cork bark pine.”)
Cork bark black pine
After decandling
After thinning needles – 26″
In crowded areas, I thinned unnecessary buds and branches, and I reduced the length of shoots to improve the silhouette in a few areas. I’ll revisit the tree in fall to see how the summer growth comes post decandling.
Apex detail
Trunk detail
Nebari detail
News & Updates
- Tickets are on sale now for the 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo. We’ll have volunteer signups online in the next week or so. Stay tuned for details.
- Eric and I talked about our experiences at shows when we were starting out in bonsai on the Bonsai Wire Podcast.
- We have an awesome supply of bonsai soil so now’s the time to stock up on akadama ahead of the next repotting season. Learn more at the Bonsai Tonight Online Store.