November 96. I have removed 6-7 further branches and more is needed to create a feeling of space in-between the trees in this group. I plan to further lower the left-hand trunks and to prune the hardest in that area.

In the coming years I continue to develop the shape by the removal of unnecessary branches and by further inclining the left-hand trunk. I have also pinched the new shots with the aim to increase twigginess and reduce needle length. I do this by totally removing the new candles when they have extended and the new needles are just about to emerge. I start in the weaker areas of the tree and two weeks later finish with the stronger areas. The very weakest shots, I only reduce or even completely leave untouched.

If the weather (on the Swedish West Coast) is fair, the tree will have time to develop new shots within the same season that I pinch back to the desired length. Then, while the needles are extending, I try to water as little as possible. Once the needles have extended and hardened off, I resume normal watering and also start to fertilize. This method equalizes the strength of the trees various parts, the needles get shorter and the new shots are so abundant that one have to select only the most useful.

Keep in mind that this treatment is stressful for the tree and should not be repeated more often than two successful years.