I have a young Umbrella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) approx 2 ft in height, in a container on my patio. The new candles are starting to emerge. I have tried to find information online about how to pinch back and decandle the new shoots, but have not been successful in locating anything specific to the Umbrella Pine. I understand that there is a difference between pruning 2-3 needle pines versus 5 needle pines, but I am not sure how the Umbrella Pine fits into this scheme. Should I pinch back the side shoots first, followed by the main central leader in the middle? I would like to maintain the compact shape, and prevents the tree from getting too tall or "leggy". Any guidance would be appreciated.
It isn't a pine at all, you've been misled by an old incorrect English name. Better called Koyamaki (the native Japanese name) to avoid confusion. Net result: you can't treat it like a pine at all, in terms of pruning. Ive never seen one pruned, so I doubt it can be done successfully. It will however maintain its shape well without any pruning, though will eventually get fairly large.
Since it it not a pine, how about just letting it grow to become like it would naturally grow to be? They are not really all that vigorous.
