A Detailed Guide to Large Tree Shaping and Pruning Techniques and Methods

Large tree shaping and pruning techniques - shaping mountain Chinese pine

(1) Overall shaping approach

① For trees whose crown is greater than 1/2 of tree height and whose tree form is relatively full, carry out thinning and release, cultivating them as normal nursery stock; for this type of tree, simply clearing dead branches is sufficient.

② For trees whose crown height is less than 1/2 of tree height but greater than 1/3, and whose trunk is relatively straight, carry out top-flattening work to cultivate welcoming trees for the market. For this type of tree, truncate the top of the tree; the truncation should depend on tree vigor, generally within a range of one to two meters, and should not be too large. For this type of tree, suitable sub-compartments for the work must be selected, and the cultivated height is generally between 6~8 m, and it must be on a scale; for trees with curved branches and trunks, peculiar tree forms, and the beginnings of distinctive tree characteristics, carry out focused development and cultivation.

③ For double-trunk Chinese pines that cannot be cultivated as distinctive trees but need work, and where the two trees have similar crown forms, cut away the tree on the sunny side; where crown forms differ greatly, cut away the inferior tree.

④ Trees with straight trunk form, excessive height and thickness, and relatively difficult transport (tree height above 12 m, crown width above 8 m) are not cultivated as large nursery stock.

(2) Shaping according to "vigor"

Because mountain Chinese pine nursery stock is a produced commercial resource, it is impossible to begin pruning from the juvenile stage; the greatest characteristic is that most trees have already formed an inherent growth form in the early growth period, that is, a relatively hard-to-change "vigor." In principle, in the later growth period, the main trunk of Chinese pine nursery stock is very difficult to change within a short time, so analysis and thinning must be carried out according to the different existing growth states of different nursery stock, with pruning, cultivation, and wiring of side branches as the focus, and further adopting reasonable shaping means and methods to promote the growth of Chinese pine and the "vigor" it forms, forming different models of Chinese pine seedlings.

Figure 1 Before-and-after comparison of Chinese pine shaped according to "vigor"

Figure 2 Chinese pine seedlings

(3) Focus on creating layers

In the process of shaping and pruning Chinese pine nursery stock, the method of handling hierarchical relationships in penjing art can be used. Chinese pine sprouts and branches in parallel in great numbers, and it is easy to form relatively flat branch and leaf directions; if artificial means are used to operate and prune, layers are easily formed. Finally, the branches and leaves are pruned to form several layers of horizontal cloud pads.

Figure 3 Layered pruning of Chinese pine

① Density and sparseness of layers

Chinese pines that have not been pruned and shaped, or Chinese pine nursery stock that has undergone only simple treatment, mostly retain their original growth trend, with luxuriant branches and leaves and numerous, scattered, and disorderly branches. Therefore, when pruning, not only must the growth requirements of the plant be considered, but the shaping layers of the Chinese pine must also be clearly sorted out; removing excess branches and leaves on the framework must be bold, and the sparse parts can reach "sparse enough for a horse to pass"; the dense parts can be "dense enough that a needle cannot pass." Attention must be paid to combining sparse and dense, breaking the shortcoming of monotonous modeling, making the composition vivid and lively, full of layers and contrast. There is sparse and there is dense, the two complement each other; only with the foil of sparseness can the dense layers be shown, and only with luxuriant branches and leaves can the sparse embellishment be seen.

② Spatiality of layers

The spatiality of Chinese pine layers includes the high-low layering and front-back layering of branches and leaves. The high-low layering of Chinese pine is relatively easier to handle, but the front-back layering of branches and leaves is often easily neglected in the early stage. Without front-back layers and with only the middle ground, it appears too ordinary, thin as a sheet of paper, and without a sense of three-dimensionality. Therefore, if the front-back layers are handled well, the shaping of the whole plant will appear rich and substantial. For Chinese pine nursery stock to withstand scrutiny when viewed from all angles, the front-back layers must be well interspersed, and it can even achieve the artistic effect of "scenery changing with each step."

(4) Pruning essentials

Follow the pruning order of from top to bottom, from outside to inside, from rough pruning to fine pruning, and pruning thick branches first and thin branches afterward. First prune branches, removing dead branches, water sprouts, whorled branches, and stacked branches; then shape, pruning out the form and layers according to the requirements of the tree form.

(5) Points for attention

① Chinese pine has limited branching ability, so this requires us to retain the 1-year-old young shoots on the terminal side branches of flat-topped trees, and cut back 2-year-old branches, so that the upper branches and leaves are finally pruned to form several layers of horizontal cloud pads.

② Mountain nursery stock has a relatively large tree body, so its vegetative growth must be considered; relatively more branches should be retained, so that the tree's own vegetative growth and reproductive growth are coordinated. In this way, tree vigor recovers much faster.

③ Chinese pine should be shaped according to the tree, not uniformly, and must achieve high-low pairing, space utilization, and nursery material utilization.

④ The degree of retention or removal of key branches and leaves at certain positions (interest branches) still needs to be improved.