Is this a picture of today? How far in summer are you?
Looks more like a bud, but a bit longer. Not calling those candles yet...
If those grow this year, and you see about about 1cm needles,coming out of the candles, then you can cut the candle down if you like to make it compacter. And you will maybe get some backbudding, but will get buds at the tip of where you did the cut on the candle.

Tbh I would only do some needle plucking and no decandling yet.
Prune where you have more than two branches coming from the same spot, and leave it be.
Maybe start giving some movement: it’ll compact the appearance of the tree without slowing its growth, and will serve you later to get a less boring trunk anyway.

Rorror wrote:

Is this a picture of today? How far in summer are you?
Looks more like a bud, but a bit longer. Not calling those candles yet...
If those grow this year, and you see about about 1cm needles,coming out of the candles, then you can cut the candle down if you like to make it compacter. And you will maybe get some backbudding, but will get buds at the tip of where you did the cut on the candle.

Yes these were taken today. Summer in California virtually starts whenever it gets hot during the dry season and ends in October, but October is still relatively warm. July isn't the climax of summer heat. The hottest time of the year in Southern California is late August/early September. Yes, September is still pretty hot. So I'd say it's still the first half of summer.

Wes wrote:

Tropfrog wrote:

I see no reason to decandle. Also I dont see much of candles at all.

It's because it's a relatively young tree. There are candles in each branch. It's hard to see from the side because the needles are long.

Those 1 cm buds? I would not call that candles. I cut the candles when they are 10-15 cm long. You have nothing at all to decandel this year.

I am not sure jbp is doing good in your climate. All mine is grown from seeds and all of them has put out candles from year 2.

It's somehow doing very well. I would pull it into the shade under larger trees if the forecast says it's going to be at least 93F. I live in Zone 10, so it's pretty warm. Our winters don't really get cold at all. It's a mediterranean climate. Imagine Athens, but the winters are a bit warmer.

I am not so sure it is doing very well. Feels odd that you havent seen and candle extension yet. I would expect in such a climate that first flush should be well extended by now and the second flush to start forming.

I think the best is to find someone growing jbp locally, they would have better knowledge of the grow phases in your climate.

Well I haven’t fertilized it at all. Do you think that’s the problem? I know the nursery would have done it, but since the purchase in May I haven’t.