Candlestick Pruning...too early, just right or too late?

11 years ago

Hello everyone, curious as to the proper time to candlestick prune pines. I don't necessary intend to prune these but merely using them as examples to get the timing right.

Picture 1 - too early, just right or too late?

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Picture 2 - too early, just right or too late?

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Picture 3 - too early, just right or too late?

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Picture 4 - too early, just right or too late?

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Comments (8)

jth97381
11 years ago
In order,
1)Just right
2)Too early
3)Too late
4)Just right

Just my opinion
whaas_5a
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Jason. Looks like its best just as the needles are emerging from the casing (I'll call it that for now).
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yes, I do the same as Hoovb - when deadheading, I often cut back quite far down the cane......but, I prune whenever I need to, which, for some roses such as Madame Alfred Carriere, means at least twice during the summer. We prune for various reasons, and one of them is to keep plants to particular sizes. Obviously, this works to a point - no use trying to fit a quart into a pint pot and all, but I generally wield my secateurs when a cane gets in my way. My only consideration concerns flowering wood (I was cutting back various clematis (large flowered, group 2) for years without seeing much of a bloom before it dawned on me that they need to keep their old wood as nothing blooms on the new season's growth. Some roses are like this too - in which case, best to prune immediately after the first flowering flush so the the new wood gets plenty of growing time to ripen for the following year. I do not have HTs, but my understanding is that they do not need old wood for their blooms.....so cut away when you like.
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I prune my Clematis when I prune my Roses which is generally around Valentines day..the ole wives tale is to prune when the Forsythias are in bloom... and in saying that...as long as they are dormant ..shouldn't hurt...mine have already put out new leaf buds..WOOHOO....Jeanne
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
you know what a whorl is.. its the buds at the tip .. one vertical.. however many horizontal ...

I THOUGHT ... once those are 'set' .. thats it on bud formation for the year.. they will switch hormones.. and do something else ...

I THOUGHT.. you try to do the pruning.. BEFORE buds are set.. so new buds will be re-set below the cut ... before the hormones change ...

any truth ... TO WHAT I WAS TOLD.. or the concept behind it???

its another way of saying.. there are NO dormant buds.. and if you cut off the ones already there.. there arent any hidden ones to trigger future growth [like a maple e.g.].. and that bud-less stick .. will die ... back to the next bud branch ...

ken
jth97381
11 years ago
Another way we like to test if the candles are ready for pruning is to break the candle it self. It it breaks clean, its a good time. If it tears, its getting too late. You can really prune at any time once the candles emerge. But if you want 6" of new growth for example, you need to wait until the candles get that tall or close and then snip it a little below that point. Just an example.
chester_grant
11 years ago
Candles have a number of future growth points for next years buds/candles. Once the candle is sufficiently developed for you to see those new growth points then you can prune them. But as ken adrian said, if you denude the candle of growth points then there will no growth in the future (thats how deer browsing destroys growth in a tree).
Typically you can snip off the top two thirds of a candle.

My experience has been that this technique makes a conifer grow a lot more dense and bushy.
jth97381
11 years ago
As long as the new candle is soft, and breaks easily, it will form new buds at the break and along the stem below. I have candle prunned pines that normally grow 18" a year to 2" and tons of new buds from at the break. But you need to still be careful. Dont go to crazy on pines you dont know how they will react. Bosnian pine for some reason dont respond as well to this technique. Im sure there are a few other examples like this. And some pines may need to be prunned earlier than others.
whaas_5a
Original Author
11 years ago
The white pines I pruned today broke fairly easy. Just a few candles needed to be put in check. The parvs where are little more rubbery.

Below at the link is a pretty good video to keep your objectives in line with a nice growing pine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pine Pruning
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
11 years ago
I was told a long time ago by someone I don't recall, that once buds form on the tip, it's past time to candle prune pines for that year as they won't reset another set of buds. I've, followed that advice on strobus, parviflora, cembra and koranensis with good results.
Marshall

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Candlestick Pruning...too early, just right or too late?

Comments (8)

jth97381

whaas_5a
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Candlestick Pruning...too early, just right or too late?

Comments (8)

jth97381

whaas_5aOriginal Author

Related Discussions

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

jth97381

chester_grant

jth97381

whaas_5aOriginal Author

mrgpag SW OH Z5/6

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

whaas_5a
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whaas_5a
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