AusBonsai

This is Japanese black pine. I purchased not so long ago as is, the nebari is quite even around the trunk and it has nice aged bark. It stands 600mm high. I have started working the tree already and is starting to look promising.

Before i show which way i went , I ask you to share how might you develop this Black pine ? Please get involved .

G'day Craig, at this stage the only thing i would be doing is working it hard to get backbudding and have a few more options. It is a little bare at the moment. Jbp's wire easily enough, even mature ones.

Hi Craig, that seems like a nice healthy tree - i love the look of black pines and hope to one day get one too.
I can't offer much advice but I will definitely keep an eye out for its progression.


take care

Adrian

if it were mine, i take the bottom right branch off and thats it , cool pine

Hi Craig if this was mine, I would seriously look at your third picture as an alternate front, as this appears to have more going for it.

If you stay with your front, you will also have to look at the second, or the other thick branch on the right as it is thicker than the lower ones.

Jus my Harry

Hi Craig
My gamble is that you have started a significant bend in the trunk to the left and maybe chopped the top and selected a leader going out to the right. Also I think you have lost the two lower branches.

I always back the 100/1 shots but I like the idea of this thread and wanted to make sure I follow it.

Cheers David

interesting,

Is that what you'd do David, or are you trying to guess my moves

I'd use the last pic as the front, this has the most impressive trunk movement. Then I'd lose or jin the lower two-thirds of the tree. Next I'd look at developing a longer branch to the left, with a shorter counter balancing branch to the right with an apex up top.

HiCraig , many options .

1/ Grow on and cut back hard to back bud ,repot into a bigger container at the same time .

2/ Cut back to the third branch and wire it for a new leader , keep the 2 lower branches as sacrifice branches , then use them for jins later on for a Shohin JBP.

3/ Bend it like Beckem at each branch and compress the entire trunk , trim hard and allow it to back bud .

4/ Cut the top off at the lower 2 branches and use 1 branch for a leader and the other for a sacrifice to help heal the wound .

Cheers Alpineart

Thanks for playing along , it's just one way to give newer people to bonsai an insight to what can be done with a stock tree.

As i mentioned i had already begun working this black pine, View #1 rotated about 35 degrees to the left, i'll begin here. I will repot in Autumn and go from there. What do you think

Looks good! Any idea of pot style? I think a round drum style would suit.

Ray wrote:Looks good! Any idea of pot style? I think a round drum style would suit.

Ray, i'll be potting up not down at this stage, alot of growing still needed, pot choice is still a while off, thanks mate

Good evening Craig,

From the front photo, I think you have exposed the trunk line very well with minimum wiring; judging the upward curve on the rim of the pot, I imaging there is quite a bit off pressure there.

I am guessing that the guide-wires will need to be in place for a fair while?

The second main branch looks equally as strong as the leader. This is an advantage I guess, you can apply trimming a bit more aggressive to this branch, and let the leader grows a bit faster.

I like the front and the rear views best

Cheers.

daiviet, thanks mate, i sometimes do this and have to suffer the consequences later. This is one such time, i may need to make some bracing so the trunk holds shape while i repot . I have thought about it many times , never mind. Yes the leader is the thinnest of all at present, so i'll need to let it run free for a while, Cheers

Hi Craig and nice start, Any particular reason you did not keep some of the branches for Jin?

Ken