AusBonsai

This was taken last summer before I de-candling. It's not very clear I took it with my mobile,not the digital camera my son gave me. But you can see what a wild and wooly set of needles it had/has.
But to answer your questions, yes the de-candling was successful. With 5 immature candles in each waiting to sprout, that's not bad. I'm not sure if I should keep them all but possibly if I do, the needles will be even smaller than the present.

The other needles are very long and going everywhere. Some a good 7 inches long!

Cheers must catch the news. Have a gud night folks,

With you in bonsai.

Pat

Bush bunny wrote:It is definitely a P.radiata it is two needles.

Pat

If it is two needle it is definitely not pinus radiata

I have 28 Monterey Pines (P. Radiata). Looking at the photos, the texture, shape and length seem to be Monterey. The growing of these are similar to the Ponderosa Pine. The techniques are similar.

You need to figure the growing techniques out for yourself but:
Southern Hemisphere - After about the middle of November, selective candle removal is used on all the larger and stronger branches. Next, during the last week of November needles are thinned, mainly on the underneath pairs (or triplets if present) to train branches into horizontal planes. Thin out the needles so only 4 or 5 bunches remain on each branch. Weak branches are NEITHER thinned nor candle-pruned so they can have a growth advantage. Then in the first week in December selective candle removal is used on all middle-sized branches. By April many newly formed buds can be observed on middle and larger branches with buds about the same size.

In the autumn, after the needles have matured, needle-cutting should be practiced to encourage dense budding within the interior. Only the old needles that are one or two years old should be cut to one-half or one-third in size. This procedure will open the branch to sunshine to promote new buds. In two or three weeks those old needles will brown and fall off. New buds will appear in the axil where they were attached to the branch. Do not pull them off because you will damage the dormant buds. (It is very normal for the oldest needles to turn brownish-yellow and start falling off in April and May.) If these practices are to be successful, the bonsai should be fertilized but not heavily only from mid-summer to late fall with a weak solution of slightly acidic fertilizer every week to stimulate future growth. (Ponderosa and Radiata tend to grow longer needles when they are grown as bonsai due to better soil conditions and regular fertilizing.)

The following year, after the middle of November remove candles on all large and middle-sized branches. Then in late November thin needles, mainly on the underneath pairs, again. Weak branches are still not thinned.

Just some guidelines above. I have plenty of Monterey Pines, so I guess I can experiment.

If you do not want the shortened needles to go brown as quickly and drop as quickly, then make sure you spray the shortened needles as soon as possible after shortening. Keep spraying for a while and keep in shade for the next 24 hours. You can also use a silicon based wilt proof spray after shortening. This does however delay the new bud development, so I do not do that. I want the dense bud growth in the next season.

Actually Neli, it is definitely a two needle, and from what I have read, the Ponderosa pine also, is two or three needle. The same with the P.radiata pine. They grow well in Armidale, and the Forestry Commission have a pine forest out of town. One section is set aside for timber plantation. The pine had been introduced to Oz in the 1850's. Now a premier timber tree. It's hardwood. Anyway I'll take more pics but right now, I'm should be re-potting some and planting some shrubs in my Enchanted garden.

Cheers Pat

Thank you Gerald good idea. I'll try needle cutting today. If I get time. It's all in the timing eh?
I've got so many tasks to do before October, like planting Huon pine seeds, and WA Christmas Tree seeds. I don't know what to do first. Getting old, LOL?

Bush bunny wrote:I've got so many tasks to do before October, like planting Huon pine seeds, and WA Christmas Tree seeds. I don't know what to do first. Getting old, LOL?

I'd do everything except the planting Huon pine seeds. By the time you get 'really old', you will still have very, very small Huon Pine seedlings. That is assuming you can get them to sprout. They are slow... very slow. They are also quite difficult to grow for relatively new enthusiasts and certain other reasons.

Hi, yes I know they are slow. But I like the history of them. LOL. Cuttings are better. I think I suggested on one thread, that I would have passed over before one can actually do any training.But if they do germinate, having been stratified prior to planting or germinate, I thought I would try. More like an experiment. I have also got some seed germination soil, from the same supplier. 'If' they do germinate, I thought they would make a good landscape being small.

I am rather interested in living landscapes, for a beginner they are ideal, as you can see results quicker than for an individual tree. I guess this is more satisfying and all beginners take note.

I mean every book I have or have borrowed from the library they picture, grown from seed, 40 years old? Even older! Beautiful trees mind you, if only I had that time left in me.

For Gerald from the Cape. I took your advice and blow and behold, I think Willy is producing cones, as well as candles. They are pinkish and in a bunch around a candle, a solitary one.
I trimmed some of the needles, like you advised, and Willy seems very happy and throwing out new growth etc., the trimmed needles are now turning brown at the tips, they were old ones, not new ones of course. And last seasons pinched candles are also throwing out more candles too.
Thanks Gerald you are a star And someone whose advice I value.

BB,
Which advise on gerard's did you follow?
Timing in pines is very important.
He told you to decandle in Late november....
Quote:

Southern Hemisphere - After about the middle of November, selective candle removal is used on all the larger and stronger branches. Next, during the last week of November needles are thinned, mainly on the underneath pairs (or triplets if present) to train branches into horizontal planes. Thin out the needles so only 4 or 5 bunches remain on each branch. Weak branches are NEITHER thinned nor candle-pruned so they can have a growth advantage. Then in the first week in December selective candle removal is used on all middle-sized branches. By April many newly formed buds can be observed on middle and larger branches with buds about the same size.

In the autumn, after the needles have matured, needle-cutting should be practiced to encourage dense budding within the interior. Only the old needles that are one or two years old should be cut to one-half or one-third in size. This procedure will open the branch to sunshine to promote new buds. In two or three weeks those old needles will brown and fall off. New buds will appear in the axil where they were attached to the branch. Do not pull them off because you will damage the dormant buds. (It is very normal for the oldest needles to turn brownish-yellow and start falling off in April and May.) If these practices are to be successful, the bonsai should be fertilized but not heavily only from mid-summer to late fall with a weak solution of slightly acidic fertilizer every week to stimulate future growth. (Ponderosa and Radiata tend to grow longer needles when they are grown as bonsai due to better soil conditions and regular fertilizing.)

Gerhard did not tell you one more things...Shoot or bud selection. If you have shoots ones they gave grown ...in autumn you reduce them to two, of equal strength.
BB read carefully what people are advising you...I suggest read the links I gave you...The advise there is from Boon and he is a master.

Gerald, This is what they look like, completely different from ordinary candles. Unfortunately this is only one of the pics I took. Two had the flash on, no good. And 347 just won't be saved. This one should give you some idea of their color and shape.

Thanks again.

Pat

BB
Those look to me like future cones...they need to be removed.

Neli, Gerald, not Gerard? He comes from near you on the Cape, RSA. November is here the end of spring, and very hot. But it is cold in the Northern Hemisphere. I plucked candles last year. And they sprouted well by the time our winter set in. That's June - September. We are mid spring now, and deciduous trees in the wild and in gardens, as well as in my pots, are breaking bud. Also I live in a temperate cool area, 3,500 ft about sea level on the Northern Tablelands of NSW. We have P. radiata growing here (plantation and recreation areas) and are a great timber tree.
Tamworth where RodM lives is a different micro-climate but they are warmer generally, and of course about only 900 ft absl, except the mountain parts of course. But even them, such as Mt.Duri, are not has high as 3,500 like here. Correct me Rod, I overlooked this mountain from my farm on the base of Mt.Cobla. 2,200 ft above sea level.

I still have my greenhouse thermometer moving around, to water the night time temps. And increasing watering now to my bonsai. They are drying out much quicker than two weeks or even a week ago. Daytime temps are reaching 20C, but plummet to 3C.

Thank you again Gerald for the advice.

I too found some of these the other day and thought of them to be baby cones as well.
viewtopic.php?f=132&t=18469&hilit=sprin ... 15#p188612

Having a quick look on the net though I reckon they are male "flowers" rather than cones.
https://bonsaitonight.com/2009/05/05/of- ... and-cones/

Cheers.

Hi boics, they could be pollen sacs, well like you said, male flowers or even female flowers I suppose. Some trees like the JWP have tiny cones, I have one and he/she is sprouting long candles including near the two cones. but they drop off after a few years. Same as junipers. I have two scale junipers flowering, and one needle juniper that had tiny cones last winter, that eventually fell off. I am not removing them anyway. I reckon Willie deserves to keep offspring whatever sex.