✳️ AT Workshop - June 20, 2026

Japanese Black Pine Decandling

• Cut candles down, leaving some needles below.

• Thin needles to encourage energy to go to new growth, Leave about 8 to 9 pairs of needles, fewer on the top of the tree where it will be stronger, to balance out and encourage more growth on lower branches if you leave 9 to 10 pair of needles

• After seeing more of the branches, prune any redundant branches where it should two

• Select buds, leaving the desired to. If the internode is short to begin with, and if too many bifurcations in that region would be too dense, reduced to only one bud so that it will grow straighter and not crowd other branches.

Building a Pine in sections

• First section is the base, build a sacrifice branch, next apex, and lower branches to keep.

• Bulk up the trunk to 75% of the final size: if you have the next apex in place (with many buds for future branches), and lower branches—only then to remove the sacrifice branch and work on the next section.

• Each section is a portion of the movement or shift left and right.

Woolly aphids

• This is a pest and best treated with a strong pesticide like malathion spray, or a more general application, but higher concentration or repeat treatment.

• Can use a toothbrush to remove as much as possible or high-pressure water spray then treat with pesticide spray