nishiki black pine

[craigw60]

Heres my nishiki black pine. I have only had this tree for about 5 years. It was swapped for a angophora. When I first got the tree it was pruned very hard and is now starting to fill in again.
Any suggestions for improvement are welcome.
Craig

[AndrewM]

Gday Craig

Very intersesting trunk. Any chances of some pics of the back and sides

Andrew

[gollum]

thats a nice tree

like me (25 yrs)
I like how you say only had it 5yrs

so now that you've only just got it maybe stick it in the ground

that would help fatten it up a bit

[Jarrod]

You know I love this tree Craig, but this photo makes it look tiny! Perhaps something next to it for a size comparison?

I would perhaps over pot it for 2-3 years to try to build up the foilage some more but other then that I think it is an excellent example of the Nishiki variety.

[Matthew]

Craig as you know niskiki are prone to reverse taper usually down low like your tree. i think this is just the characteristics of this type of pine . its getting nice corked bark. I have one which has only been in a bonsai pot for one season . i treat it simular to my normal blacks but have noticed it was later to candle at least in central queenland not sure if it will be different now that im in NE victoria but it has put on good growth since its been down. Needles can get quite long but reduce well as with most JBP. i candle remove and prune the same. needles to about an inch or a little more atm. I really like the movemnet in your pine and i think just give it a few more years to refine the branching. putting it in the ground will not solve the reverse taper low in my opinion.

[craigw60]

Hi Gollum, 5 years is a newcomer. I hadn't thought about planting it out the trunk thickness is not too bad and I don't want huge trees any more.
Heres some more shots

[craigw60]

Hi Noah,
The nishiki pines are grafted so the reverse taper is standard for this cultivar. Even the really old ones in Japan show this characteristic. I have one here on its own roots but it needs lots more growing. The foliage is very coarse but it does bud back more than a standard black.
Craig

[Jamie]

this tree would be around a metre tall yes craig? i dont mind it with the reverse taper, overall it is one thing that conventionally is a problem but unconventionally i dont find it offensive at all for some reason. i think where yo are heading with it is good! i have really started to fall in love with pines just as much as fig!!

[craigw60]

Hi Jamie, about 80cm tall. The reverse taper is part of the deal with nishiki. Some of the old Japanese ones the base is so thin compared to the upper trunk they look like they're going to snap.
Craig

[Bretts]

Looking like it is going to snap some how works with the literati style Like the tree alot Craig it is very unique. I am looking forward to it's refinement
I don't think it is old school or new school it just needs to be put through a good school

[jarryd]

one of the best trees i have seen posted up on the site. i have a soft spot for nishiki. do you have any others that may be for sale? if so could you please pm me.

cheers jarryd

[craigw60]

Thanks Jarryd. This tree had no work done on it for some years when I got it. It was very healthy but the branching was all over the place, in some parts I took 30cm of growth off it, so branch and foliage refinement is still very much on the cards.
Craig

[bodhidharma]

I like it a lot Craig and with foliage refinement it will be a beautiful specimen. I imagine the foliage will reduce as per a standard jbp?

[craigw60]

Hi Bodhi, the foliage will not come down as much as a standard black its always a bit coarse, these trees are really all about bark. It will get better though.
Craig

[anttal63]

Hi Bodhi, the foliage will not come down as much as a standard black its always a bit coarse, these trees are really all about bark. It will get better though. Craig

Hi Craig; Yes that line in red sais it all. With all due respect, by Aussie standards this one is as potentially good as any other. Its one of those things, you either lovem or hatem. For me personally its closer to the latter. Outside of a few examples from Japan, these trees really struggle to tell me a believable story of a tree in miniture. Some times i wonder why they were even drawn into the bonsai realm. Plant art to enjoy the bark would have been sufficient, imo. Again yours is a fine example of a corky bark and no disrespect intended, Just not my cup of tea as bonsai.