Getting Jacked!

M. Frary

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Hey, Mike! Great thread you started, among others, and glad to see you posting about your own trees now.

You didn't kill that one you got from me - the winter up there did that, most likely, despite your precautions, because it was raised locally in the very mild Pacific Northwest climate for sale as a yard tree - I got it from just such a nursery, and its ancestors may have been aclimated to the PNW many generations ago . You might think, being of Jack Pine heritage and genetics, that it would know what to do up your way in the winter - as I thought, and therefore I didn't give any extra warnings - but that was obviously wrong, and this really dawns on me as I read here about the challenges encountered by almost everyone who collects or tries to raise them in climates like yours where these trees even are acclimated to the brutality of the climate.

So please don't beat yourself up about this, 'cause your a big guy, of Godzilla-like strength if I understand correctly, and ex-LEO and all that, too - and you might hurt yourself!
Thanks Will.
But it was in my care.
I've learned though.
Thank you again.
 

GGB

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I sprouted 200 of them 2 years ago, unfortunately i was more interested in trying as many species as i could at the time so i only kept one. I just dug up my seeding yesterday and got it in bonsai soil. It was pretty shaded and definitely over fed, but it's doing pretty well for being so far south. I certainly won't have anything earth shattering to add to this thread. But here i am..
 

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Leo in N E Illinois

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Pinus banksiana 'Manoment' probably 15 to 20 years from grafting on P. sylvestris rootstock. Purchased from Rich's Foxwillow Farm, distant burbs of Chicago.
As bought.
IMG_20180327_161404324_HDR.jpg

Did a little thinning, then decided middle trunk has got to go, then wired out, spread out the branches to try to get sun in and back budding. The upper branches didn't get wired because I don't plan on them being part of the finished tree. Might become single trunk, or if I can, I'll keep the two uprights. Today single trunk looks a good option, but that won't happen until years after it gets moved to an Anderson flat. It has been in the nursery pot for at least 10 years.
IMG_20180413_105640621.jpg

IMG_20180413_105721320.jpg

Planning on repotting after summer solstice as per mugos.

Curvy trunk on the right is likely the trunk of the finished tree.
 

GGB

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It's nearing the time of year for bud selection. I picked up a yamadori jack pine this summer and didn't even consider how difficult that might be for this species. The buds are coated in a resin shell... How do you guys deal with this. I'm 90% sure tugging at these things isn't going to give me the result I'm after. Attached is a night shot of the buds just 'cause.
 

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Waltron

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Here’s one of my collected jacks, recently styled it with a little supervision from Walter Pall. Didn’t do full detail wiring but moved the random branch up into a twin did some editing and a couple Jin.

Before and after. It’s not much, I know. Has a long way to go, but hey it might be something at least one day if I’m lucky. Probably will never be great.
 

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M. Frary

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It's nearing the time of year for bud selection. I picked up a yamadori jack pine this summer and didn't even consider how difficult that might be for this species. The buds are coated in a resin shell... How do you guys deal with this. I'm 90% sure tugging at these things isn't going to give me the result I'm after. Attached is a night shot of the buds just 'cause.
I havent done bud selection.
I havent had the trees long enough for that.
I'll be doing it in the spring.
Like my other pines.
Once they swell they're easy to knock off.
 

GGB

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Huh, suppose that makes the most sense. I've heard bud selection happens in mid autumn but I'm happy to ignore that in this case.
I'm hoping to start ramification this year for a 2' (ish) tall literati. We'll see how vigorous it is. didn't get much back story on the tree
 

M. Frary

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Huh, suppose that makes the most sense. I've heard bud selection happens in mid autumn but I'm happy to ignore that in this case.
I'm hoping to start ramification this year for a 2' (ish) tall literati. We'll see how vigorous it is. didn't get much back story on the tree
It's very cool that were seeing more of these trees being used for bonsai.
 
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GGB

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It's very cool that were seeing more of these trees being used for bonsai.
yeah definitely, i feel fortunate to live in the intersection of pitch, virginia and jack pine territory
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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So far with Jack pines, so good.

my grafted 'Chippewa' in 2016, repotted to Anderson flat August 2016, second photo August 2018
IMG_20160814_170426_273.jpg
in the 2018 photo 'Chippewa' I never did get around to fully wiring it out. No branch or bud selection yet, maybe over this winter I'll get it done.
IMG_20180818_092238029.jpg

Jack pine, 'Manoment' Pinus banksiana 'Manoment' purchased sometime in 2017
pretty much the way it looked when bought, March 2018 picture.
IMG_20180327_161404324_HDR.jpg

Repotted to an Anderson flat in August 2018, will try to wire out better later in the year. You can see in the original it was a fairly columnar tree. I did throw wire on the lower branches, where I quit wiring is where I'm thinking I will select a new apex and lower the tree to roughly there. Haven't decided whether branches will go out and up or if I will train them down more ''spruce style''. Probably out and up.

It will be a twin trunk, the straighter one that is thinner will be shortened to about 2/3 the height of the taller & thicker trunk. Although in time, if one or the other trunk back buds and fills out foliage wise, it might become a single trunk.

IMG_20180818_084525942.jpg

So far so good with following Vance Wood's calendar for work on a mugo pine. August repotting seems to work. But the jury is not out, these are both grafted trees, well over 10 years or more after being grafted on Scotts pine understock. So the roots are P. sylvestris.

I do have some seedlings, one about 4 years old, some that are 2 years old and more seed in the refrigerator. Seedlings are boring, but have proven just fine with summer repotting.
 

GGB

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Repotted my jack today. I removed somewhere around 15% of the roots, possibly more. Summer dormancy was my goal but I’m probably woefully early on it haha. Tree was very vigorous this spring. Also removed about 15/20% of foliage during the repot. I have literati dreams for this one. Still have tons to remove, but I won’t even get into styling until winter. Crossing my fingers. Old soil looked pretty good but wasn’t percolating and was getting a little to wet/compacted. Below is before and after, just because I rarely post pics
 

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