Building a shohin black pine

markyscott

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Here's a small Japanese Black Pine I bought from Mike Hansen in Phlugerville TX about 7 or 8 years ago. It was before all of his health issues. He used to run a Japanese Black Pine school back then - in fact, I think that he pioneered the culture of Japanese Black Pine in Texas. Back in the day he used to import a fair number of trees - this was one of a collection of small, twisted-trunk, black pines that he imported back in the late 1990's or early 2000's.

Unfortunately, it's health was not that great when I bought it.
IMG_0006.JPG

You can see that it's color was off at the time. This was taken in 2009, I think. The upper 1/3 of the trunk was straight and without taper - it needed to go, but first the tree's health needed to be restored. I repotted into a better quality soil and let it grow for a few years.

Scott
 

markyscott

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By 2012, the tree's health was much stronger and it could stand some work. Here it is about 4 years ago.

IMG_0003.JPG

Long needles and the tree has a healthy, dark green color. Better soil quality was a big component, I think. Needle length is long - a good sign of health.

Scott
 

markyscott

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In preparation for removing the old apex, I guy wired the new apex into place. In fall of 2013, this is how the tree looked.

IMG_0002.JPG

You can see the guy wire across the trunk. I'd put this on about 6 months before I worked on the apex.

Scott
 

markyscott

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Fall cleanup involves pulling the old needles, and bud selection. See? Here's a problem area:

IMG_2788.JPG

Where I'd decandled last year (I didn't decandle this spring) four buds had grown. Thin to two. You want horizontal buds coming out at an acute angle. For every couple of horizontal buds, you'll want one growing on the top as well. Remove the bottom ones first.

IMG_2789.JPG

Scott
 

markyscott

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Here it is after fall work is complete.

IMG_2790.JPG

Note that I've cut the needles. No big deal on a tree in training. I've also left a lot of needles on the sacrifice branch. I want a lot of extension on that next year. Then I'll cut it off.

Also note the two failed grafts lower down on the trunk. Bummer. I'll try again in spring.

Scott
 

Eric Group

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Love the movement! Do you really think the lower grafts are needed? Won't they kind of hide the interesting lower trunk twists and turns? Do you have a sketch or anything of your vision for this one? Great material!

Is this one where the wire was left to grow into the trunk?
 

Adair M

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Love the movement! Do you really think the lower grafts are needed? Won't they kind of hide the interesting lower trunk twists and turns? Do you have a sketch or anything of your vision for this one? Great material!

Is this one where the wire was left to grow into the trunk?
Eric, of course it is Scott's tree to design, but if it were mine, I'd graft on low branches.

Low branches are particularly important for JBP Shohin. Traditionally, JBP are placed on top of the Shohin box stand. Which elevates them above eye level. (For most of us! Scott is very tall! Lol!!!). Which means that we look up at the tree on the stand. We don't want to be looking up at the underside of branches. Which would be the case if the branches were only at the top of the tree. So, we need low branches, and pull them down so that they almost touch the soil! The visual effect is we see a full tree.
 

markyscott

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Love the movement! Do you really think the lower grafts are needed? Won't they kind of hide the interesting lower trunk twists and turns? Do you have a sketch or anything of your vision for this one? Great material!

Is this one where the wire was left to grow into the trunk?

It's a good thought Eric and I'll give it some consideration. But I made a choice to try and build a pine out of this tree and I think it will need some branches lower down to make for a good tree of that size. I'll give it another go this spring.

Scott
 

markyscott

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It's a good thought Eric and I'll give it some consideration. But I made a choice to try and build a pine out of this tree and I think it will need some branches lower down to make for a good tree of that size. I'll give it another go this spring.

Scott

...I made a choice to try and build a pine out of this tree...

Sorry - that should read ...I made a choice to try and build a shohin out of this tree...

Wierd typo...

Scott
 

petegreg

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Scott, I deal with a similar pine...or at least process. Looking at mine I've got the transition old trunk -> new trunk much lower, but new trunk portion is still young and has just two branches. Looking at yours I see many branches on the upper portion of the trunk. Will you pick some and remove some, or do we need as many branches as possible?

Your tree was weak. What do you think helped it to gain vigour? Soil, position, feeding?
 
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Anthony

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Scott ------- thank you.

Now I wonder how come the bark on our older pines stays dark red brown and everyone
else-s is white-ish ?
Good Day
Anthony
 

markyscott

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Scott, I deal with a similar pine...or at least process. Looking at mine I've got the transition old trunk -> new trunk much lower, but new trunk portion is still young and has just two branches. Looking at yours I see many branches on the upper portion of the trunk. Will you pick some and remove some, or do we need as many branches as possible?

Your tree was weak. What do you think helped it to gain vigour? Soil, position, feeding?

In my opinion, it was weak because of poor soil and bad repotting technique (on my part). It's in the same pot and same part of the part of the bench as before.

Scott
 

markyscott

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Scott ------- thank you.

Now I wonder how come the bark on our older pines stays dark red brown and everyone
else-s is white-ish ?
Good Day
Anthony

I didn't know you grew Japanese Black Pine in Trinidad.

Scott
 

petegreg

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In my opinion, it was weak because of poor soil and bad repotting technique (on my part). It's in the same pot and same part of the part of the bench as before.

Scott
It happens, thank you. ...and the first part of question, please, if it's not a kinda know-how? We do not have an opportunity to look inside the crown of show ready shohins often. That's why I ask.
 

markyscott

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It happens, thank you. ...and the first part of question, please, if it's not a kinda know-how? We do not have an opportunity to look inside the crown of show ready shohins often. That's why I ask.

Sorry - it's OK for now, but as the branches develop, some will have to be removed. Particularly on the right side of the tree. The left side is OK, but will have to be reduced as the lower branches (to be grafted) grow out.

Scott
 
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