Wulfskaar's Bristlecone Pine from seed

I’m relieved one was bristlecone, because I feel like I kicked off some disappointment on your end with my picking at the pictures. But also, bristlecone is truly sublime as a species to grow and work with and it’s good to have at least one! Good luck with it!

MaciekA said:

I’m relieved one was bristlecone, because I feel like I kicked off some disappointment on your end with my picking at the pictures. But also, bristlecone is truly sublime as a species to grow and work with and it’s good to have at least one! Good luck with it!

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I'm actually really happy you pointed this out, and I don't mind being called out as long as it leads to the truth. It just means I have more species to work with!
It appears I have 3 bristlecones, and 6 ABP. I should have seen the difference in the trees. Now I can't unsee it.

The actual Bristlecones are having more growth now than they ever have at roughly 4 1/2 years old. There is green side growth and the ends have buds extending and pushing needles. They finally seem to be doing better.

I am very happy to see you have Bristlecones and not all seeds were mislabeled. If Mackie had not commented I would have as I have 9 Bristlecones and Foxtails and know them well. They are my last trees to grow in the Spring.

Potawatomi13 said:

I am very happy to see you have Bristlecones and not all seeds were mislabeled. If Mackie had not commented I would have as I have 9 Bristlecones and Foxtails and know them well. They are my last trees to grow in the Spring.

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Yeah, I'm very happy he said something. All that time I thought some were sick and some were doing great lol!

Wulfskaar said:

Yeah, I'm very happy he said something. All that time I thought some were sick and some were doing great lol!

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Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

doc spring _work said:

Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

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Here are all 3 of mine. They are 5 years old at this point, and still tiny. Only this year did they start to actually pick up some growth. They are still too small to do anything with.

Also, I haven't noticed any candles, only spots where new needles grow from. The new needles are very soft and beautiful. And they smell amazing.

I would recommend trying to get one that's already been growing a while to save yourself a large chunk of your life. Trees like JBP I would say go for it, but not these. It will probably be at least 10 more years before I can do much with these.

doc spring _work said:

Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

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As you live in Utah You should have some aristata or possibly longaeva somewhere near you where you could pick a cone and do it the fun way. This is a great time to find a ripe one.. If you do this be sure it is brown and ripe and not still purple/immature.

Potawatomi13 said:

As you live in Utah You should have some aristata or possibly longaeva somewhere near you where you could pick a cone and do it the fun way. This is a great time to find a ripe one.. If you do this be sure it is brown and ripe and not still purple/immature.

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I've been staring at maps and figuring out my best choices for collecting, theres a peak about 100 miles from my house that seems promising.

Range on maps indicate I should only need to hike a mile or 2 which is a life saver since I still walk on a cane.

But if that doesn't work the jonsteen company (which Ill have some seedlings arriving from Tomorrow) does have a grow kit for some Astra for 10.99, there's also a replacement guarantee on them...

But I really would love to take my rusty jeep into the mountains and to get some inspiration

(Also curious what the soil at this small pocket looks like since the more eastern range does thrive on unique soils and from what I've read they don't handle competition well)

Honestly I should be getting ready to handle my 60 seedlings that'll be arriving soon...

But I'm currently on a bristlecone itch, which is very much out of character for me since I deeply love material and especially faster material. I'm also very curious about trying some things on the material...

There is also a rather pricey nursery nearby that claims they have bristlecone... But they don't know the scientific name for any of their materials so idk what kind they supposedly have

@doc spring _work I look forward to seeing what you get!

doc spring _work said:

I've been staring at maps and figuring out my best choices for collecting, theres a peak about 100 miles from my house that seems promising.

Range on maps indicate I should only need to hike a mile or 2 which is a life saver since I still walk on a cane.

But if that doesn't work the jonsteen company (which Ill have some seedlings arriving from Tomorrow) does have a grow kit for some Astra for 10.99, there's also a replacement guarantee on them...

But I really would love to take my rusty jeep into the mountains and to get some inspiration

(Also curious what the soil at this small pocket looks like since the more eastern range does thrive on unique soils and from what I've read they don't handle competition well)

Honestly I should be getting ready to handle my 60 seedlings that'll be arriving soon...

But I'm currently on a bristlecone itch, which is very much out of character for me since I deeply love material and especially faster material. I'm also very curious about trying some things on the material...

There is also a rather pricey nursery nearby that claims they have bristlecone... But they don't know the scientific name for any of their materials so idk what kind they supposedly have

Click to expand...

To ID them at a nursery or the wild aristata normally has a lot of white specks on the needles. Longaeva has few to none of these. Are you getting 60 Bristlecone seedlings?

Potawatomi13 said:

To ID them at a nursery or the wild aristata normally has a lot of white specks on the needles. Longaeva has few to none of these. Are you getting 60 Bristlecone seedlings?

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Oh no I see the misunderstanding, I'll be getting 30 bald cypress and 30 dawn redwood today... Idk what I'd do with 60 bristlecone pines my patience isn't that grand!

doc spring _work said:

Oh no I see the misunderstanding, I'll be getting 30 bald cypress and 30 dawn redwood today... Idk what I'd do with 60 bristlecone pines my patience isn't that grand!

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I think patience is a virtue we learn from bonsai if we do it right.