One of my favorite techniques for developing exposed root pines is bending the roots. To recap some of this work done last year, here are before and after photos on a 13 year-old pine.

Before bending the roots

After bending the roots and wiring primary branches

Now that the basic form of the tree is set, the fun work can begin – branch refinement. I find this stage of development fun because pines can develop quickly. Here’s the same tree one year later.

14 year-old exposed root pine

I like the soft feeling of the unwired foliage that developed after decandling. Some wiring, however, is needed as the apex points one way, the main branch points another way, and both sides stick out too far in relation to the size of the trunk.

Before wiring, I thinned the needles.

After removing extra needles

And here’s the tree after wiring.

After wiring

The tree is far more compact now, and after another year of decandling, I can start thinking about what kind of pot makes the most sense for the tree.

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