AusBonsai

Gday Everyone.

I was fortunate enough yesterday to be given this black pine from my Dad.
Does anyone have suggestions of what way I can wire or prune it? He di tell me that I had to buy a non glazed brown pot for it. Do you think it needs a larger pot, or stick with the same size?
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers
Mick

Hey mick
Nice Dad you goth there

Whats with the root ball? Looks like it has been plonked on top of the soil rather than be potted into it? If it is happy like that then I will look to pot it lower at next repot unless youare going for an exposed root style

Lots of foliage there so you cannot see into the tree to pick out the trunkline but it looks like it will have lots on movement to use. The branches are long. They will need to be shortened and wired to develop shape and ramification. Just makes sure it is done at the right time of the year and that you leave some foliage on the branches when you do.
Read all you can about black pines and their care and styling an you will have lots of fun and enjoyment with it
I am sure Ant will help you out too

ps. yes JBP (and all pines) are typically in a Brown unglazed pot. It would not hurt to have it in a slightly larger pot while you are developing the tree but the size looks about right for a "finished" tree.

ken

Thanks Ken.
What is the right time of year to prune and wire? Is it Autum or winter? It seems to be a very healthy tree, I actually counted about 5 pine cones starting to develop. Hopefully I will get some seeds out of it

Cheers
Mick

kcpoole wrote:Whats with the root ball? Looks like it has been plonked on top of the soil rather than be potted into it

I agree with that one there. Please pot it deeper next repot

Does your father also bonsai? (Out of curiosity )

Hi Mick,

1. Heavy pruning (branch removal) in spring when repotting just before buds are about to open.
2. Wire in spring or early summer.
3. They love the sun however they don't like being water logged. They are a very tuff tree so if they miss a watering they should be fine.
4. Too much water and the needles will grow very long. This is fine if you want to increase the size of the tree though not to good if you want to refine the image.
5. They like a very porous mix so heaps of grit in their soil - up to 70% grit.
6. Pinch the candles to improve ramification. Divide the tree into three sections, weak, average and strong growth. Pinch the weak growth first but only a little or not at all if the growth is very weak. Two weeks later do the average section - pinch the candles to about 1/2 the length. Two week later pinch the strong growth areas - upto 2/3 of candle length. This routine ensures that the hormones preventing budding are reduced leading to more buds opening.

Hope this helps.

Yea I will pot it deeper next re pot. I am not sure whether I am going to re-pot into a grow box to thicken the trunk yet. If I wanted to use a grow pot, would it be ok to just lift and pot into one now, or is it better to wait till the right time?
Jordy, my dad does bonsai.He has a great collection Some of his trees are just mezmerizing!

What time of year should I pinch back the buds Edward? Are they ready now from what you can see in the photos.And whaen you say weak candles, do you mean the smaller ones, or the weaker looking branches? There are a lot of buds on this tree, and also cones. Will it matter if I leave the cones on the tree, or should they be removed? If there is a cone on a branch, does that mean it is a strong branch?
Thanks with your help. Very much appreciated
Cheers
Mick

Her is a pic of the candles, and one of the cones. Sorry about the quality.

Hey guys and gals.

do you think now would be a good time to pinch back the candles, or do you have to wait till they develop more?
Thanks for all the info everyone, its really helping me along
Cheers
Mick

Anyone