Alternative pine for texas

Shay

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Tx sage maybe?
Still working on it...
 

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Ceijay

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Loblolly is kinda sorta almost native to Austin. I hear it's hardy had quite hard to kill. I don't think many people use to for bonsai though.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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You should be able to grow JBP in San Antonio, pines are not easy, their horticulture is different than the deciduous. You just need more experience and you will get the hang of them. Saw some beautiful JBP when I visited Austin. I'm glad you are trying pinion. It is a Japanese tradition to use what is native to the area. (so to speak) Before WWII most of the species used by the Japanese were native, only a few are imported from China. Of course now they tap into the global landscape shrubbery market and use a larger number of non-native species. But the original bonsai were mostly native material collected locally.
 

augustine

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Loblolly - I don't know if they work in containers or if the needles can be reduced.

VA Pine is an option if they are native to your area. However it is difficult to find a good one and trunks are very slow to thicken. But if you can find a good one go for it without hesitation. (One of my fellow club members collected a dwarfed tree with a good trunk years ago and it is a very beautiful bonsai.) I'm still looking.

I also vote for Pinus Strobiformis, Southwestern White Pine. They are tough, attractive and backbud well. Also the needles can be reduced to 1-1/2 to 2". I got a one gallon tree from Brent at Evergreen GardenWorks several years ago. I like it and it sure backbuds. Should work well in your area.

Best regards and have fun,
 

Adair M

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Is your climate different than Dallas?

The Smiths grow JBP very successfully in Dallas. They like hot summers.

Pines are not "hard" to do. If you know what to do. The tricky thing is not all Pines can be treated the same way. Some prefer warmer climates, some prefer colder.

There are two ways to look at Pines: single flush and double flush. Most are single flush. They send out new candles in the Spring, and that's the only growth for the year. These pines are the 5 needle pines, Scots, Mugo and other primarily Northern pines.

Japanese Black Pine is a double flush pine. It can send out a second set of candles in the summer. Virginia Pine can also do this. Techniques have been developed to take advantage of the double flush growth and develop short needles, and dense ramification relatively quickly. This characteristic is what makes JBP a superior species for bonsai.

Virginia Pine, like Japanese Red Pine, are "in betweeners". They live in higher elevations than the Coastal pines like JBP, and lower elevations than the Mountain pines like JWP. Both are double flush. But prefer a bit cooler climate than you would have in Texas.
 

M. Frary

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Excellent information. Except the mugo,and Scots pine are 2 needle pines.
 

rockm

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Is your climate different than Dallas?

The Smiths grow JBP very successfully in Dallas. They like hot summers.

Pines are not "hard" to do. If you know what to do. The tricky thing is not all Pines can be treated the same way. Some prefer warmer climates, some prefer colder.

There are two ways to look at Pines: single flush and double flush. Most are single flush. They send out new candles in the Spring, and that's the only growth for the year. These pines are the 5 needle pines, Scots, Mugo and other primarily Northern pines.

Japanese Black Pine is a double flush pine. It can send out a second set of candles in the summer. Virginia Pine can also do this. Techniques have been developed to take advantage of the double flush growth and develop short needles, and dense ramification relatively quickly. This characteristic is what makes JBP a superior species for bonsai.

Virginia Pine, like Japanese Red Pine, are "in betweeners". They live in higher elevations than the Coastal pines like JBP, and lower elevations than the Mountain pines like JWP. Both are double flush. But prefer a bit cooler climate than you would have in Texas.
Pinus taeda (Loblolly) apparently has two to five flushes of annular growth. It's a shame the species isn't used more.
 

Adair M

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Excellent information. Except the mugo,and Scots pine are 2 needle pines.

You are quite right, Mike, Scots and Mugo are two needle pines. My sentence was poorly written. I meant that the 5 needle pines and those two named species are single flush. The number of needles in a bundle doesn't apparently have any relationship to being a single or double flush. Even Austrian Black Pine is a single flush pine. The double flush pines are the rarity. Most pines are single flush.
 

Txhorticulture

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I'm actually pretty familiar with mexican pine trees. I think pinus nelsoni or pinus culminicola would be great for bonsai but not available in commerce and I'm not going to Mexico to get them.
 

markyscott

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JBP grow great in Houston. So do loblolly, but I haven't figured out how to keep them alive in a pot yet. Still experimenting, but I'm 0 for 3 so far.

Scott
 

Adair M

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JBP grow great in Houston. So do loblolly, but I haven't figured out how to keep them alive in a pot yet. Still experimenting, but I'm 0 for 3 so far.

Scott
0 for 3 with loblolly?
 

markyscott

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Yes - they were all nursery plants and died the season I repotted them. Boon and I did the last one. It died about a month ago.

Scott
 

GGB

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Hey man, look up Pinus aristata "bristlecone". I've grown it from seed its super easy to germinate, hates being watered and is from south western USA. I've heard it works well for bonsai and the needles are pretty short naturally. Its pretty hardy too. I'm growing it in rainy humid PA and it's doing amazing
 
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