Energy Management
In typical spring fashion the energy this time of year is go go go! I never seem to manage my own energy until mid July but I spend plenty of time managing stylized Japanese black and red pines from May into June.
Listed below are three ways I manage the energy of Japanese black (Pinus thunbergii) and red pines (Pinus densiflora) in the spring.
Choice 1: You could... Leave alone - No pruning
Technique: No pruning, no pinching, no breaking, just admire the beauty of growth.
Goal: Energy accumulation.
Results:
- Gaining length, height, trunk and branch girth.
- Lots of photosynthesis to feed a weak, sick or newly established tree.
Choice 2: You could... Break candles
Technique: Before the candle has harden off and canât be snapped by hand. Usually before the needles emerge. Sometimes called pinching but mostly breaking. (If the needles have emerged there is still a short window where you can cut the candle in half but be careful to avoid cutting needles.)
Goals: Energy disruption.
Result:
- Shortens the growth internode of the new candle (which will grow into a branch or maybe even produce a new bud that will grow in the same season.)
- Disrupt the suppressive effect of auxin on lower and interior branches so they can grow more vigorously.
Choice 3: You could... Remove candles (decandling)
Technique: The needles have fully emerged and all new candles are removed (cut) from their point of origin. Referred to as decandling. Depending on the length of your growing season this should be completed by early or mid June (for shorter growing seasons) to early July for longer growing seasons). Your local Japanese garden or bonsai club will have this timing dialed and are a great resource for seasonal timing.
Goals: Energy disruption AND expenditure.
Result:
- Requires the tree to spend more energy pushing out new buds to replace the ones removed. The growing season for these replacement buds is shorter resulting in shorter needles and a shorter growth internode.
- Disrupts the suppressive effect of Auxin on lower and interior branches so they can grow more vigorously.
Remember, this is for Pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine) and Pinus densiflora (Japanese red pine). These pines reliably produce replacement buds that will elongate within the current growing season. There are other pines that will do this too and many others that will produce new buds that do NOT elongate in the same season.
I get a lot of questions about choice #3, decandling. This technique hails from the world of Bonsai and has a very specific definition and use. I like the way Jonas Dubuich explains it on his blog Bonsai Tonight. He is careful to explain âthe term decandling refers to the removal of spring shoots after the new needles have emerged.â Seems straight forward enough until we start asking when, how and why. Each tree will have different requirements depending on what stage of development the tree is in as well as its overall health and your goals.
I donât practice bonsai but I feel it is important to understand techniques that have crossed over into landscape pruning. For good or bad, de-candling is one of them.
I prefer more open branching on my pines so I mainly break candles and then thin the whorls of growth in the fall. Im not very concerned with short needles since I think they can look out of scale on my larger landscape trees.
For those clients who have healthy pines and want very dense foliage on each pad, I will de-candle. Usually these trees are smaller, very stylized and viewed up close.
For any pruning technique ask yourself: You couldâŚbut why?
On my mind
YouTube Short
I posted a quick Youtube short with examples of the three choices above.
Bonsai Tonight
The blog of bonsai artist and teacher Jonas Dupuich. When you search âdecandlingâ into his blog, you will find about 37 pages where decandling is mentioned!
Going ons
Garden tour in the Midwest
The North America Japanese Garden Association is offering a multi-state garden tour that includes some of the best gardens Illinois, Indiana and Michigan have to offer. I would be going if it wasnât my busiest time of year! The tour takes place May 26-29, 2026. Register soon before it fills up.
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