AusBonsai

Hi people

i have been inspired to try a pine again and am wondering what pine would do the best in my climate, after knowing noah has kept them in rocky for three years or more which is more humid then i am i surely have to be able to keep them, i am wondering what species would be the toughest? i have liked the looks of mugo but they might not like my heat, JBP is an obvious choice and may have to be the way to go.

i want to be able to create a tree like leigh done in his video demo a while ago, that being said i am pretty sure it was a spruce but i dont think they will like it up here, i want to be sure that i can keep the tree happy

let me know your thoughts people


jamie

edit- it was a spruce!

I remember seeing a vid by Lindsay that showed some awesome Japanese Black Pine growing in Hawaii by some old Japanese Master... might be one way to go...

i thought that may be the way to go Elias.

by the way if the nurseries have any sort of pine stock that will do well up this way i want a more mature tree ready for first styling like i said to be styled like the spruce in leigh's video

jamie


edit- its a spruce!

Mate I recon nothing but jbp may be the Italian stone pine that pup has as for stock ouch big stuff is exxy I have one that is a long way off it was $80 can't see it doing much in the next 4 years may be steves got nice one for about $650 so does leong may be get some shipped up is an option I'm after a big one in winter

sounds interesting dayne

although this is a spruce it is basically exactly what i am looking for
(Leigh Taafe's tree )

the stone pine sounds interesting, might have to look it up. if i have to i will pay the tree off, if the nursery will let me ofcourse


jamie

Hi Jamie,
If your unsure about pines in your climate, you should grab a few Casuarinas for Australia!
They obviously arn't pines but some of the ones we have seen on this site are a pretty good indicator of what sort of tough trees they are!
Maybe grab one of each and see which can handle your climate better..

What kind of pine grows in Queensland? -Pine...apple
Seriously black is one of the toughest, in Melbourne I move my pines around to protect them from extreme heat. Mugho and scots are very sensitive but my blacks like full sun all the time.
Another you may look at is Pinus patula (mexican pine) they have long soft bright green needles and are very fast growing, mine sometimes get a little windburn but if they can grow them in mexico they may work for you.

Regards Gerard

You could also consider Norfolk Island Pine

Gerard

Hi Jamie,
Mugos are out of the question I would guess. How about radiata some people hate them I like them tough as old boots and easy to get hold of. The general consensus is that JBP is the go they should be pretty easy to track down.
Craig

i never thought bout mexican pine gerard, thanks for another option, i dont think norfolk island pine is exactly what i am after

well mugo is out then craig, i dont mind radiata but find needle length to be desired, i know they reduce and black pine has long needles aswell, i guess i would prefer a black pine to a radiata to be honest, unless a radiata or other suitable pine comes up similar to my example it will most likely be black pine


jamie

Jamie it might be good to seek out a local bonsai club and find out what type of Pines the members grow. Take the guesswork out of the equation.
A lot depends on your micro climate and what was the result last time you tried Pines.

Ash

Hi Jamie there are some plantations around Coloundra/Sunshine coast /Rainy coast , right along the Freeway . They are a mixed bag but i did notice last time i visited there was Ponderosa's in large numbers planted there . While the needles are very long they do reduce and do have a rugged look . Cheers

thanks for the info ash, the closest club to me is the sunny coast, nearly three hours away, so it wont help with micro climate as such. hence there is gonna be some guess work

thanks alpine that gives me another option to work with, i guess most pines have long needles to start with and reduction work needs to be carried out


jamie

Mate every one in sunny coast club has jbp some radiata butheir actually a slash pine in the plantation I think their monteray/caribean or somthing their a cross to grow fast straight with few branches I have one cut back to almost a stump and it's boomed Ann over but even new needles are pretty long if you want a small tree go a yatsabusa they have unreal corkybark and tiny needles I'm after one but their a bit slower growing I beleive

i beleive your right about the yatsabusa being slow, but the radiata is the same as monetary i think mate, just different names from across oceans.

i would love a white pine but dont think it will even survive a month up here.

i know there are some in rocky growing black pine really well. i definately only want a shohin tree though, i beleive i will have get a larger tree and chop it down to get what i am after though