introducing Wild Willy - P radiata

[Bush bunny]

Hi Introducing Wild Willy, after Braveheart hero.

As you can see, he has yet to be tamed. But softly softly is my motto. As you can see he could make a good bonsai one day. But right now I am leaving off wire until I reduce all the needles some are about 2 inches long, which is better than the others which are 7 inches long. You note some of the branches below the top are dead. So they will go. I've pulled some long needles but not all - that's why he's name wild Willy! But I think it is a radiata as it grew very fast really. We all start somewhere don't we?

I wish I had found this site years ago. Because I am data rich but practical poor.

[Bush bunny]

Wild Willy.jpg

Wild Willy


Well there you are folks, I have to be patient but I almost lost it at one time, so I have let it run its own race. So don't give up, I would just let your little pine grow may re-pot it in a bigger pot.
Nice soil with lots of organic and good drainage. I used vermicompost in mine as well as bonsai mix.

[Neli]

You start needle reduction only after you have fully developed your tree...for short...last.
How big is your trunk.

[Bush bunny]

The trunk well it is big well thickish. I'll measure it. Hang on. 5 inches around the thickest part of the trunk it has some nebari roots but I covered them up. But it still has some long wild looking needles and the shorter ones I picked off the candles last spring. It was bought May 2010 and it was only about 10 inches tall. When I decided to repot it it had grown nearly 18 inches, in tiny pot. In rock hard soil, with just a few white roots poking out. Any way I squeezed and loosened the soil as much as I could, and stuck in that large pot. With lots of vermicompost around it. It never looked back. The branches are quite thick though. It is quite frost hardy too I think, we are getting a bit of rain now so I'll not water it.

Cheers

Pat

[Neli]

5 inch trunk in 4 years??? That sounds a bit too much for a JBP...? Take better pictures...level with the tree and on plain background.

[Bush bunny]

That is measuring around the trunk, at soil level, not the diameter. I'll take better pics tomorrow, it is raining heavily now. I know it jumped up, I fed it with Seasol too. I asked a local expert, as the label only said 'Pine' and they reckoned it must be a Pinus radiata, to grow so quickly. But it was only bought in April 2010, at our local autumn festival, from the Armidale Bonsai Club stand.
I'll measure it again.

Cheers and thanks

[Bush bunny]

What is JBP Neli? Sorry to sound stupid.

[Bush bunny]

Japanese Black Pine, got it. No it is not a JBP. It's a P.radiata. I don't think they would sell a JBP for $3.00?

[kcpoole]

Japanese Black Pine, got it. No it is not a JBP. It's a P.radiata. I don't think they would sell a JBP for $3.00?

Ok I just Edited the Title to reflect that
I thought you said it was JBP ( Japanese Black Pine)

Ken

[Neli]

I also thought the same Ken...
Pinus radiata? I dont know how to develop that one...is it similar to JBP? is it a 2 needle pine?

[Bush bunny]

I don't think they are a favored bonsai, very little on them, and I have tried and tried to find out more. We have a pine forest in Armidale, so I imagine it came from there as a cutting or seed. Why I called it wild, is exactly, it is the most healthy but wild (untidy)looking with 7 inch needles etc. My son looked at it and said, Well, we could use it as a Christmas Tree? But I do get annoyed when there is no species and genus label on a bonsai plant. This seems to happen in Bunnings a lot. But I got it from the Armidale Bonsai club stall.

However I did pinch out some of the candles last summer and they grew OK. Not all just the end of the branches. But I have to hold myself back and not scissor trim those long needles! You know when your teenager son has long unruly hair (Maybe they don't do that any more). I've pulled a few out under the new candles.

I'll take some more pics but it is really raining today, and me and the lady across the road have blocked toilets.

Cheers and thanks.

Pat

[Gerard]

I suspect this is not P radiata,
Needles look to be too thick and rigid, to me it looks like a black pine.
You can pluck a sheath of needles from the trunk.
Two needles per sheath for JBP
Three per sheath for radiata
Five needles per sheath for white pine
Two needles per sheath for red pine

This guide will not give you a conclusive identification because some trees will have lots of 1,2 or 3 on the same branch. Sometimes a tree will lose a needle.
But it will certainly tell you what the tree is not and help you narrow down the options. Radiata black and white all smell different to each other.

[Neli]

Dont pull any needles...bad idea at this stage with pines...you need old needles to cut back to...Pines can not be cut back to bare wood...the branch will die...and you need to bring the foliage closer to the trunk.
Pinus radiata should have 3 needles coming from each point...Can you check that?

read this:
http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/Pines.html
http://nichigobonsai.com/2011/11/21/int ... -radiatas/

Radiata’s are a tree that i am still really trying to work out how to grow well. Last year i tried to treat them like a black pine and cut all new growth off around christmas time. It did not respond very well and didn’t really produce any back-budding. This year i am going to grow them a little more like some of the other growers in my area. That is they pinch out strong growth as it appears and continue to do so throughout the growing season.

http://bonsaistudygroup.com/conifer-bon ... s-radiata-(monterey-pine" )/
Hi Boon,

I was wondering if you had had any success decandling your radiata like a black pine yet? I am very interested to see your results.
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boon
Sr. Forum Member


Re: Pinus radiata (Monterey Pine)?
« Reply #8 on: January 30, 2012, 11:21 AM »
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The result is great. 3-5 summer buds are growing in each area that we decandle. I will post some pictures tomorrow.

here is the result from decandling the same way as black pine. I had a good result. Jeremiah worked on this tree.thining summer growth to 2 shoots and removing old needles
some simple info on JBP
http://www.kusamurabonsai.org/Articles/ ... asics.html



So according to Boon he treats it like JBP with not so bad results...and I trust Boon. I shall ask him today some more about radiata...and let you know.
That said take better pictures of the tree and post here so I see it from several angles.

[Bush bunny]

It is definitely a P.radiata it is two needles. Those close ups where the result of de-candling it last summer. The new growth has five candles in the middle of them. Thanks for the links. I have a white pine, a graft, and that is five needle. I let Willy have its way a bit longer, I occasionally pull a tuft out. But I don't over do it. I was thinking of cutting off the longer branch, the leader, but - If the don't back bud on old wood, what's the point. Might get the wire out eh?
Anyway it is enjoying itself right now with all the rain we've had. It's still cold though.

Be back with some pics of my rocks. I think it is a beauty, it could stand alone I think, but I am going to put in a landscape (Asian flavor). Any more advice on Willy would be appreciated.

Pat

[Neli]

Pinus radiata is not 2 needle pine...it is 3 needle pine...read above..it can be JBP...Do you want a tree in a pot or bonsai pine?