Shohin Aleppo pine

Fishtank307 · Nov 25, 2017

I bought this little Aleppo pine today. Although the trunk is still a bit thin, I think I can make a neat little bonsai out of it.

Wound at the top is healing quite well.

Twisty roots at the base.

I kinda like this cheap Chinese pot...

I removed the old needles and two or three leggy branches. Branch selection and wiring will be done soon.

Does anyone have experience with this species?

M. Frary · Nov 25, 2017

Not me. I know there is some information on them here in older threads.
I'd search the forum and check it out.
I like that pot too.

milehigh_7 · Nov 25, 2017

I have had a few but it was years ago. They are landscape trees here in Las Vegas so they are obviously heat tolerant. Nice smaller pine with short needles about 2". I believe they bud back better than some others if memory serves. In landscape here they get flared bases It's pretty cool.

Fishtank307 · Nov 26, 2017

Can't find much information about this species... What I do know is:

Grows very fast, 2-3 flushes of growth in warm climates.
It produces juvenile foliage when it's young or stressed. This foliage has a lighter color and the needles are very short. I've noticed that on my tree the mature foliage has two needles per fascicle. The juvenile foliage has only one needle.
The longest needles are 6 cm, the shortest (juvenile) needles are 1cm long.
BUT at the top there are mature needles (2 per fascicle) that are only 1.5 cm long! These are probably from the last flush of growth. Also, at the top there is more light => less stress => more mature growth. And of course apical dominance bla bla...

In conclusion: the tree can produce short, mature needles, yay! I've read that once the tree is set in its basic shape, you should treat it like a Japanese red pine. Now, I don't have any experience with Japanese pines, so I don't know what that means (yet). But I'm going to make a wild guess and say that it has something to do with decandling during the summer. (?)

Now some more pictures of my little friend:

The base, again, in daylight:

I'm probably going to repot it next spring. The soil looks like it has seen better days.

Long and short mature needles:

Juvenile needles. You can see 4 (2x2) 'mature' needles on this shoot as well.

And as @milehigh_7 said, they backbud quite well!

petegreg · Nov 26, 2017

Fishtank307 said:
Can't find much information about this species... What I do know is:

Grows very fast, 2-3 flushes of growth in warm climates.
It produces juvenile foliage when it's young or stressed. This foliage has a lighter color and the needles are very short. I've noticed that on my tree the mature foliage has two needles per fascicle. The juvenile foliage has only one needle.
The longest needles are 6 cm, the shortest (juvenile) needles are 1cm long.
BUT at the top there are mature needles (2 per fascicle) that are only 1.5 cm long! These are probably from the last flush of growth. Also, at the top there is more light => less stress => more mature growth. And of course apical dominance bla bla...

In conclusion: the tree can produce short, mature needles, yay! I've read that once the tree is set in its basic shape, you should treat it like a Japanese red pine. Now, I don't have any experience with Japanese pines, so I don't know what that means (yet). But I'm going to make a wild guess and say that it has something to do with decandling during the summer. (?)

Now some more pictures of my little friend:

The base, again, in daylight:

View attachment 168382

I'm probably going to repot it next spring. The soil looks like it has seen better days.
View attachment 168383
Long and short mature needles:
View attachment 168384

Juvenile needles. You can see 4 (2x2) 'mature' needles on this shoot as well.
View attachment 168386
And as @milehigh_7 said, they backbud quite well!

View attachment 168387

Nice tree and yes what you gathered is completely right and exhausting. Try to search info about Italian stone pine, P. pinea, they're very similar.

Concerning those short mature needles...they are new and I guess they will continue growing next season. Keep us posted.

just.wing.it · Nov 26, 2017

Fishtank307 · Nov 26, 2017

just.wing.it said:
View attachment 168390

Haha, I just watched the interview! For a minute he's trying to figure out what a 'leppo' is

just.wing.it · Nov 26, 2017

Fishtank307 said:
Haha, I just watched the interview! For a minute he's trying to figure out what a 'leppo' is

Funniest thing ever!
Poor Gary...

Cool tree BTW!

Fishtank307 · Dec 10, 2017

Pruned and wired.

Backside

The lowest branch is still very long! I hope that the tree will develop more buds closer to the trunk. Wiring it should do the trick. The tree was very apically dominant and the lower branches were struggling to get enough sunlight!

just.wing.it · Dec 10, 2017

Wow, nice work!

Fishtank307 · Dec 10, 2017

just.wing.it said:
Wow, nice work!

Thanks!

Still a long road ahead though. Hopefully I can develop some nice pads!

my nellie · Dec 10, 2017

That's a nice tree!
Good movement in the trunk, too.
But I have an objection for your wiring strangling over the needles if I may say...

Tentakelaertje · Dec 10, 2017

Looking good! Not an everyday species to encounter.
The branches do see a bit flat and straight tho, are they flexible still? Can they be bent a little more? That way your total image would be a little smaller too

0soyoung · Dec 10, 2017

Tentakelaertje said:
Not an everyday species to encounter.

That is just because you don't live in a desert climate. Nice species for places like Allepo Syria, Phoenix and Tucson Arizona, SoCal. It might even do well in Albequerque. It is reportedly hardy to zone 8, but I could not rescue a not so healthy one I found at a local nursery. I certainly is very pretty as a landscape specimen.

Potawatomi13 · Dec 10, 2017

Be mindful of roots. After cutting 2(?)roots arching upward consider changing angle of tree to lower remaining ones to soil while raising on other side. Can drastically change style of tree

.

Tentakelaertje · Dec 11, 2017

0soyoung said:
I certainly is very pretty as a landscape specimen.

If you say so

On a more serious note, you do encounter them a lot? That is interesting.
Do you know of there's a lot of aleppo pine show ready specimens?

Fishtank307 · Dec 11, 2017

my nellie said:
That's a nice tree!
Good movement in the trunk, too.
But I have an objection for your wiring strangling over the needles if I may say...

Thanks! I unstrangled the needles by the way. Beginner's mistake!

Fishtank307 · Dec 11, 2017

Tentakelaertje said:
Looking good! Not an everyday species to encounter.
The branches do see a bit flat and straight tho, are they flexible still? Can they be bent a little more? That way your total image would be a little smaller too

The primary branches aren't very flexible :s I was able to bend them just a little bit. Secondary branches are still flexible. I'm hoping I can use the growth of next year to replace (in time) the present leggy branches. That way I can make the design more compact, without having to bend the branches back and forth. I don't know if this makes sense

But in the meantime I should indeed add some more movement to the secondary branches!

Fishtank307 · Dec 11, 2017

0soyoung said:
That is just because you don't live in a desert climate. Nice species for places like Allepo Syria, Phoenix and Tucson Arizona, SoCal. It might even do well in Albequerque. It is reportedly hardy to zone 8, but I could not rescue a not so healthy one I found at a local nursery. I certainly is very pretty as a landscape specimen.

This one was kept outside all year long, without winter protection. But I'm going to protect it from long periods of frost. A very healthy tree may survive the winters here, but I'm not taking any chances!

Fishtank307 · Dec 11, 2017

Potawatomi13 said:
Be mindful of roots. After cutting 2(?)roots arching upward consider changing angle of tree to lower remaining ones to soil while raising on other side. Can drastically change style of tree.

Do you mean creating a flat root base by cutting the upward growing roots?

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