Mekiri
Bud trimming. It refers to the work of trimming new buds to balance the strength of bud growth in pine trees, such as ”kuromatsu” (Japanese Black Pine). ”Mekiri” bud-trimming work is not uniform and varies depending on the species of tree and timing of the season. A single round of ”mekiri” work is necessary once a year for a tree that grows slowly. But the process needs to be done frequently for trees exhibiting fast growth.
translated by Kyodo News