In a message dated 7/30/2003 12:37:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, writes:

My question is: if I don't mess
with the roots, is it safe to style it during this time of year? I've heard
any number of "rules of thumb" regarding how much can safely be removed from
a pine and I've seen a number of demos where those rules were violated to
the extent that the "finished" tree had like one branch
left with a couple
of tufts of needles.

Working with pines is like tuning a fine Ferrari engine. If it is not done properly, performance will significantly suffer.

I would recommend the following:

1. Remove undesirable branches (imi-eda). I would recommend that you trace the desired trunkline and remove anything that will not contribute to the future development of the tree.
2. Cut back on the long shoots to promote back budding, but this must be done not later than this week (to ensure that buds set for the following spring).
3. Pull out needles in extremely dense areas to improve light penetration and air circulation.
4. Downward pointing bundles of needles can also be removed (pulled or cut) to enhance the beauty of the tree. If you see weeping (sapflow) after plucking a small group of needles, resort to using your shears.
5. Superfeed to promote growth for artistic development.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob/index.html

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