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Full Eastern White Pines

Jeff Ashenfelter

12 years ago

Hi,

I've seen Eastern White Pines that are very tall and lanky so to speak, and I've seen others that are very full with the needles and branches so close together that you can't see the trunk. My wife was wanting to prune ours so that it would be shorter and fuller. I was just wandering if this is possible. Can you prune an Eastern White Pine to make it fuller?

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Comments (4)

pineresin
12 years ago
It is more genetic than pruning, so not really, no. And certainly not once it reaches higher than comfortable pruning height. Pruning also has a high risk of spoiling the shape.

Resin
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
link to conifer intro below .... which they are.. and there is a conifer forum.. but i dont care where you post ...

i swear the ACS site had a pruning article.. but i cant find it ...

but you havent provided much info.. 'training' a conifer.. should have started when it was a few feet high..

i dont really know how you are going to change a large conifer ... what you call 'very tall' ...

as resin notes.. you are growing wild forest trees ... and they grow very tall.. and are usually bare for the first 30 to 50 feet.. when they are 100 feet tall ... its in the dna ...

if wifey doesnt like them.. it might be time for them to go ... and start over ... i would love to see pix of what you are talking about .... otherwise its just all speculation.. as your words will never really give us any idea of whats going on ...

good luck
ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
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whaas_5a
12 years ago
Many nurseries shear them so they are fuller.

I don't know how you can maintain that effect as it ages.

I've seen native mature White Pines that are full and branched to the ground (I wish I could have one) but most others are thinnly branched and shed the lower branches.

I've seen multiple sources state that Pinus Strobus is somewhat shade tolerant when young but need full sun as they age.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
12 years ago
How big is your tree and if you have a pic or two, even better. If young, you can do it for a while but as Resin said it could end up spoiling its shape. At the point that you can no longer prune it, it will take on the shape it wants and you may have the early compact growth combined with new open growth.

tj

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