Fall decandling – Bonsai Tonight

I decandled one of my black pines this week. I can’t say it makes much sense on the surface, but I have reason to believe good will come of it. I gave this a try at the suggestion of Akio Kondo. In a couple of years I’ll know more about the technique – for now it’s more of a working theory.

What I’m curious about is how this looks from the outside. Any ideas why I’d do this or what I hope to accomplish? I’ll say more about the process next week.

Japanese black pine – before decandling

After decandling

After needle-pulling

After cutback

Tree interior – detail

Tree interior – detail