Black Pine Seedling Cuttings

Adair M · Dec 17, 2016

Scott:

Rather than using two 1 gallon cans, have you considered using large PVC drainage pipe? Or the black corrugated landscape drainage tubes?

Both of those might be a bit more slender which would give you a tighter set of exposed roots.

Looks like a good project!

markyscott · Dec 17, 2016

Adair M said:
Scott:

Rather than using two 1 gallon cans, have you considered using large PVC drainage pipe? Or the black corrugated landscape drainage tubes?

Both of those might be a bit more slender which would give you a tighter set of exposed roots.

Looks like a good project!

Hadn't thought of it. But let's do some that way too! Thanks for the suggestion. I think Morten used an old akadama bag.

Scott

markyscott · Dec 17, 2016

markyscott said:
Hadn't thought of it. But let's do some that way too! Thanks for the suggestion. I think Morten used an old akadama bag.

Scott

Cool. I can see one drawback though. The technique demands that the roots are exposed a little at a time. With the 1 gallon pot I can just cut off a strip with scissors. With the PVC I'm going to have to saw it off. Doable, but a bit trickier. I think I'll make some shorter ones now. And then a few that are destined for regular shohin.

Scott

Adair M · Dec 17, 2016

markyscott said:
View attachment 126331 View attachment 126332 View attachment 126333 View attachment 126334 View attachment 126335

Cool. I can see one drawback though. The technique demands that the roots are exposed a little at a time. With the 1 gallon pot I can just cut off a strip with scissors. With the PVC I'm going to have to saw it off. Doable, but a bit trickier. I think I'll make some shorter ones now. And then a few that are destined for regular shohin.

Scott

Ok... How about a two liter plastic Coke bottle?

Hey, I've got an idea... you could have fun doing the Diet Coke/Mentos thing, then recycle the bottles as exposed root shells!

Anthony · Dec 17, 2016

You are allowed to split the PVC and allow to rootbind. Then open and wash off/down, pull upwards and refill
with fresh soil/
Happy Xmas
Anthony

markyscott · Dec 17, 2016

The solution was right in front of us. Split the 1 gallon pot lengthwise, adjust to fit and duct tape together. Easy peasy, but no fun with mentos...

Well that's all for today.

Scott

markyscott · Dec 17, 2016

Can't do any more for now. Summer is over and winter will be here in a couple of hours.

It's exhausting. High of 81 today. Lows in the mid 30s tonight. High of 40 tomorrow and a light freeze expected tomorrow night. Back up in the 70s later in the week. Yeesh.

Scott

dirk hoorelbeke · Dec 18, 2016

fexible, different sizes, easy to cut. Drainage tubing. I would go for this and not a fixed pvc tubing. Get some movement from the beginning.

Drew · Dec 18, 2016

I've done this using 2ltr water bottles and I've also planted a few in the same pot to save space...

markyscott · Jan 8, 2017

Growing seedlings is pretty fun - all sorts of stuff to try. A couple of days ago John Geanangel pointed me to a resource for some good stone here in Houston. I walked out with about 100 lbs worth (thanks John!). One of them was this:

It's called a "grey mountain stone" - it's a imported from China for aquariums. It's a carbonate - heavy, but soft. Easy to drill into if you need to.

Scott

markyscott · Jan 8, 2017

A great resource for doing this is "Forest Rock Plantings & Ezo Spruce Bonsai" by Saburo Kato. Fist step is to decide on a front, where the plant will rest and how the roots will drape the stone. Once that's decided, mount a couple of anchor wires. I think that there are a lot of ways to do this, but Master Kato describes insterting the anchor wires into small cracks in the stone and anchoring them with lead balls pounded in to the crack. If it's good enough for Saburo, it's good enough for me:

Scott

markyscott · Jan 8, 2017

Then select your seedling - I picked this one:

I bare rooted it, but I did not cut the roots.

Anchor the tree onto the rock using one of the anchor wires, then anchor the roots into place with the others. Use a piece of rubber to protect the roots wherever the wire crosses.

I ended up using 4 anchor wires to hold the tree onto the stone. This is a bit of a process, so spray the roots from time to time to prevent them from drying out. Once this is done, you'll want to place the stone in a deep container (I used a pond basket). Whatever you use, make sure the pot is deep enough to completely bury the stone. Partially bury it with bonsai soil, then wire the rock to the pot.

Once it's secure, completely bury the stone and water thoroughly. Easy peasy.

Scott

CWTurner · Jan 9, 2017

Nice. If its a good rock, I wouldn't want to chance breaking off a piece by hammering something into a crack. Drill a hole and use a modern epoxy sounds safer, but "the old ways" are interesting.
I wonder in a nylon stocking would hold the roots tight against the rock and negate the need for any wire?
CW

Brian Van Fleet · Jan 9, 2017

CWTurner said:
Nice. If its a good rock, I wouldn't want to chance breaking off a piece by hammering something into a crack. Drill a hole and use a modern epoxy sounds safer, but "the old ways" are interesting.
CW

I've used a loop of wire in epoxy putty to adhere the loop to the stone to create a good, and subtle anchor point.
Looks good Scott, eager to follow the progress!

Adair M · Jan 9, 2017

CWTurner said:
Nice. If its a good rock, I wouldn't want to chance breaking off a piece by hammering something into a crack. Drill a hole and use a modern epoxy sounds safer, but "the old ways" are interesting.
I wonder in a nylon stocking would hold the roots tight against the rock and negate the need for any wire?
CW

Scott's wife has hidden all the stockings. She got tired of him wearing them and stretching them out.

markyscott · Jan 9, 2017

Adair M said:
Scott's wife has hidden all the stockings. She got tired of him wearing them and stretching them out.

It's not that. It's that I've already used her stockings for fertilizer bags.

thumblessprimate1 · Jan 9, 2017

Nice stone, Scott! Where in Houston are you getting them?

markyscott · Jan 9, 2017

thumblessprimate1 said:
Nice stone, Scott! Where in Houston are you getting them?

ADG - Aquarium Design Group. Johng pointed me there. I might be making a return trip soon

Scott

D805 · Jan 18, 2017

markyscott said:
Happy little pines.

View attachment 115266

So very new to bonsai, but what is the purpose of the PVC in these pots?

plant_dr · Jan 18, 2017

The pvc allows the roots of the seedling to grow really long straight down before getting to the shallower bonsai pot. Its easier for when the time comes to plant it on the tock, or just an exposed root style. You could use pvc, that black drainage tubing, two-liter bottles, plastic netting, etc. Anything that will support the potting mix and to create the depth you desire.

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