During the summer months there is a lot of talk about candles, especially since my Wife and I both have our birthdays in July. However Black Pines also have candles, and every Father’s Day it is time to remove the candles that grow during the year to keep the trees dense and full. However most people see where and when to cut candles, but I wanted to show WHY you cut them.
Two weeks ago I removed the candles from two of my trees. Since the candles are able to grow for about 5 months they grow to about 4 inches in length, and if left alone will in turn leave you with needles that are 4 inches. So by cutting the candles the tree only has three months left to grow new candles for the year. Shorter candles mean shorter needles.
So after the two weeks the new candles are already popping out. As you can see they come out in sets of three so you will want to remove 1 or 2 of them. In most cases the strongest ones are removed.
