Wrapping up decandling season – Bonsai Tonight

I finished decandling my black and red pines about a week ago. And since I’d neglected to pull needles or thin branches last fall, I did that work too.

(If you’re new to decandling, see “Decandling: an in-depth guide” for details.)

Here’s what this work looked like on an 18 year-old pine.

Before decandling

After decandling, pruning, and needle-thinning, 11″ (thanks, Max!)

As you can see, over half of the tree’s foliage was removed. For a tree with relatively dense foliage, this is normal. I expect that a few more years of this work and the tree will have a silhouette closer to what I have in mind for it.

Here’s an example of the same work on a much older tree.

Cork-bark black pine

After decandling – 25″

I left more needles on this tree as it grows slowly due to its age and its being a cork-bark pine (cork-bark pines are often less vigorous than non-cork bark pines).

After decandling, I stop fertilizing for one month. In early August, I’ll start fertilizing again and continue applying fertilizer through the end of the growing season.

Wholesale Soil Update

I’ve been able to secure several soil shipments for this summer. The first shipment will arrive in a few weeks with subsequent shipments scheduled for later this month and September.

If you are interested in purchasing 50 bags or more (any combination of soils), visit Wholesale Bonsai Soil for details.​

Orders of fewer than 50 bags may be picked up locally in Northern California or purchased online.