Pinus radiata, what to do with it

Beano · Post by **Beano** » February 28th, 2014, 12:48 pm

I bought a radiata pine a few weeks ago, went nuts on it and now I'm not sure what to do with the branches. The shortest branch has some new green coming out at the end, but the other branches are very long. All I can find about pines is pinching tips, but can I cut back branches shorter as long as there are some green needles remaining on the branch?

Qitianlong · Post by **Qitianlong** » February 28th, 2014, 1:16 pm

Is that a British Blue short hair you have there?

Beano · Post by **Beano** » February 28th, 2014, 1:24 pm

Yep! She's my fur child... She's always up in the bonsai business...

Isitangus · Post by **Isitangus** » February 28th, 2014, 2:59 pm

Put down the bonsai tools and step away from the tree!!! Lol. Just let it recover, look at it, let it recover and keep looking at it until you see the trees direction.

Qitianlong · Post by **Qitianlong** » February 28th, 2014, 6:10 pm

awesome! here's mine:

clive.jpg

Aragon Sir Clive!

Beano · Post by **Beano** » February 28th, 2014, 6:20 pm

Lol! Mine is princess lulu le blu! Or just Lulu

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Josh · Post by **Josh** » February 28th, 2014, 6:33 pm

Can I ask what your design idea was when you started working on the tree. What was the shape/style you were going for?

Josh.

Beano · Post by **Beano** » February 28th, 2014, 7:01 pm

Basically like a regular pine without the bar branches and whorls of branches. Bonsai Christmas tree. It, like most of my trees is an experiment. I am aware that it looks ridiculous currently. But at some stage I need to learn pine

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Qitianlong · Post by **Qitianlong** » February 28th, 2014, 8:05 pm

I think I'd chop the trunk just above that branch on the right where you've started wiring, and then plant on its side in a bigger pot/box, let that new leader grown on and then chop again... have a mugo pine for sale at the ausbonsai market next week that I've done that to.

shibui · Post by **shibui** » February 28th, 2014, 9:14 pm

but can I cut back branches shorter as long as there are some green needles remaining on the branch?

The answer to this is yes. Radiatas are even better at producing buds than JBP so you should have no problem getting buds as long as you leave some needles.

I also agree with Qitianlong. At the moment your tree is pretty straight with little movement or taper in the trunk. A trunk chop may seem a bit brutal but you will probably end up with a better tree in the future.

PeterH · Post by **PeterH** » March 1st, 2014, 7:37 am

May I suggest that you let the tree recover before you repot. I have lost older Radiata by heavy top pruning and re-potting at the same time.

Regards,
Peter

Beano · Post by **Beano** » March 1st, 2014, 12:32 pm

Ok. Yeah I hadn't planned on repotting it as I wasn't sure what time of year it required it. I read that somewhere, not to do major branch work and repot in the same year?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AusBonsai