Here’s another Japanese Black Pine with major choices ahead.

Let’s take a look. 

A scruffy little Black Pine with a few promising lower branches and a lot of nothing halfway up. 

After several initial cuts the pine is half the size. The top came back hard, and the two lowest branches were shortened. A slight tip to the right lessens the post in the ground feeling, the same issue as last week’s Black Pine. 

After wiring and rough setting and with a guy wire on the left branch. Looks a mess, doesn’t it? A pine with a tail. 

The branch that dangles to the right will be retained for the growing season, to provide enough food. We cut a lot off this tree, and even though Black Pine is pretty tough, so little foliage can stress a plant. Next fall that dangling branch comes off. 

Here’s a guide to future removals. The pine tail will be cut. And we’ll cut off the large stub off the top, currently being used to anchor a guy wire. If you squint you can maybe see where this is going. 

This sketch might help understand why we left what we left. The canopy line shows the total size of the future tree. The top of the crown is off to one side of the base, one way to provide tension. There’s presumed thickening of the trunk. And there’s a future trunk line rising off the current leader. Flow would be to the left, with the lowest branch indicating direction. 

Here’s the first in this series of rough pine stylings.