De-candling Pines

To stimulate a second flush, prune the candles starting in early June for bigger trees and in early July for shohin-sized trees. In the fall, where the candles were cut, select two lateral buds to keep and cut the rest off. The second flush will result in smaller candles and shorter needles.

Superfly Bonsai

“…it’s not about what they look like now, but rather how much time is left in your growing season. Second flush of JBP needs about 100 days to mature, so count backwards from your first frost date 100 days and that’s about the time to candle-cut. Cut earlier if you want to end up with longer needles, later if you want short needles.”

Bonsai nut