A picture tells more than 1000 words. This one shows you when to prune black pine needles and stop fertilizing (May in our northern hemisphere) and then when to start fertilizing again AFTER the new buds have formed and hardened off. Courtesy of @MakeMoreBonsai https://youtu.be/uE3L-DVHEug?si=rEgRe-XTPAYRfkQP
The idea of this article is that it grows, while sharing my research findings and insights in handling Japanese black pines (kuromatsu).
Do keep in mind that the preferred time for major pruning work is mid summer. In our time zone that is July.
October Care
Octoberis one of the rare time slots where the sap flow on two needle pines is low and the tree can be needle plucked.
Care Guide
You can find an exquisite care guide for Scots Pines in the resources section of bonsainut.com. (Find the download link to the PDF in the upper right corner of the page)
My personal keynotes:
Spring: bud reducing
Mid Summer: Pruning in July
Early October: the only window for needle plucking (!)