If you are thinking of growing a japanese black pine bonsai then you must have a great deal of patience and discipline. If you do not possess either of this then you should reconsider your plans of growing or buying Japanese black pine tree as it is never an easy thing to do. There are a few intricate techniques which people and experts apply while they aim to have a robust looking bonsai for a decor center piece in their homes.
Modern research in such bonsai trees have revealed that the best time of candling (pruning the the long, soft shoots that grow on the pine in spring) is ascertained with the month of the year and the growth of the candles. The modern way is to make sure to get needles of whatever size you want on your black pine bonsai. Hence, to start with the pruning so to speak, you must have a healthy plant or otherwise candling may weaken the tree.
Firstly, you need to remove each and every candle that are one inch or above one inch. This will facilitate the growth of side buds and your Japanese black pine bonsai will have forked branches spreading away from the apex region (very top branches).
What are the next steps?
In places where the growth of the candle is fast you should take a special care and brake those needles later than usual. On the other hand where the growth is slow you must never hesitate to candle those parts. This will enable the second stage of growth to be thicker and form branches of the bonsai tree.
The whole process and eventual results is achieved by looking at the calendar and the seasons so that you may do the candling quite conveniently with the best of results. In hot summer months you should candle it late as this would then ensure that the secondary growth do not have much time to grow when candled. In fact, when you candle late in the summer the shorter will be the growth of the secondary candle.
The time of the season depends upon the place where you are staying and you must be able to gather this through experience only. You may also watch out for any unbalanced growth of your Japanese black pine bonsai. In order to get the right needle length you wish you must have to wait till the following season or after a few seasons.
Cutting the candle
You must cut the candles of your bonsai with a sharp shear so that the tissues are not damaged. Here, the cut should be in a straight line and across the neck of the candle. Avoid cutting in angles as this will surely distort the shape of the tree. You must also make sure not to cut other needles so you must use your hands delicately by holding the blade and the area properly.
In the coming winter you must remove all branches of the secondary growth except for two branches. These two are going to be the next fork of the branch. This will allow for growth as side branches. As these are rarely of the same size you can make your design accordingly. You may also choose candles of equal length from the secondary growth for a more rounded formation and thick looking japanese black pine bonsai for your home.