Pinus Thunbergii (5 trunks from seeds)

clem · Mar 13, 2020

hello, i bought a little forest of thunberg pines in 2005, from a nursery (where i buy all my palmatum cuttings).
I plan to let the main trunk grow more, to have a 70 - 80 cm multitrunk (i like this size very uch)

The forest in 2005 ->

in 2012 ->

In 2015 ->

In 2018, i decided to remove a lot of trunks, because it was too difficult for me to make a "lisible" forest. I left 5 trunks

In 2020 ->

This forest didn't grow much during those 15 years, because i always pinched it. This year, i will do mekiri (candle pruning in the beginning of July) and i'll show the result.

Wilson · Mar 13, 2020

That is a fun little planting, and always cool to see from seed development!

clem · Mar 13, 2020

thanks. I will let the main trunk (on the left) grow and get bigger with 2 sacrifice branches (1rst left branch & crown) in the future, because i'd like to have a big main trunk...

cmeg1 · Mar 13, 2020

Definately fun!

clem · Mar 24, 2020

hello, i repotted this tree yesterday, to check the roots because some neddles (a few needles) hade some yellow bands on it (like a fungus problem)

The core of the rootball is ok (pumice inside) ->

The tree after repotting ->

So now i'm not sure that the tree will be strong enough to make mekiri (candles removal).. time will tell

Pitoon · Mar 24, 2020

Would you say this is a clump or forest?

To me I would call this a clump since they all are originating from the same point.

It looks good, and I think you did a great job so far.

clem · Mar 24, 2020

thank you.
What does mean "clump" ?
I think this pine is a "cépée" in french : a forest with tight trunks.. i'm not sure that with time they will fuse together.. maybe ?

Pitoon · Mar 24, 2020

clem said:
thank you.
What does mean "clump" ?
I think this pine is a "cépée" in french : a forest with tight trunks.. i'm not sure that with time they will fuse together.. maybe ?

Multiple trunks fused at the base.

B.uneasy · Mar 30, 2020

When a trees trunks fuse together, do they become the same tree?

plant_dr · Mar 30, 2020

B.uneasy said:
When a trees trunks fuse together, do they become the same tree?

Visually they can appear to be a single tree,but if the individual trunks were grown from seed each one would be genetically different. Even if the seeds came from the same parent tree the offspring are all slightly different on a mictoscopic level.

Potawatomi13 · Mar 31, 2020

If a cone is buried several seeds may sprout together. This is generally considered a clump. Your tree appears as a clump. Appearance matters in classifying tree style. In ancient Bristlecone Pines that have several apexes scientists feel they may have been several trees grown together forming one massive trunk. This is called a single tree. As far as personal knowledge goes genetic testing of these trees has not been done to tell. I Like your tree clump. Actually liked more before thinning

. Noticed your tree trunks looked green as if having algea on them. Is tree kept in damp or shady area? This could explain if any fungus problem present

. Choice of substrate most excellent!

Potawatomi13 · Mar 31, 2020

Also in time roots and trunks will fuse together as growth happens.

clem · Mar 31, 2020

Potawatomi13 said:
I Like your tree clump. Actually liked more before thinning. Noticed your tree trunks looked green as if having algea on them. Is tree kept in damp or shady area? This could explain if any fungus problem present. Choice of substrate most excellent!

Thanks for comment. The green color of the trunks is "natural" : the tree is in a sunny place, but the Normandy climate is humid so green moss developps. The 1rst cm of the trunks have no green color because i put some sulfuric acid to remove the limestone on the base of the trunks. Michael Hagedorn, in his blog, described the same yellow bands on some needles of his JBP, and an laboratory analysis showed some fungus in the roots, so he planed to repot his JBP in a more draining substrate. I did the same ^^

Here are others pics of the 2 faces, with changes, and a virtual of what i'd like to have in 10years ->

pin thunberg cépée 2020 03 31 001virt1.jpg

CWTurner · Mar 31, 2020

clem said:
because some neddles (a few needles) hade some yellow bands on it

I don't know if you have sawfly there, but their egg laying can also look like banding on needles.
I got a bad sawfly infestation last year and had a couple JBP trees completely denuded.
CW

clem · Mar 31, 2020

CWTurner said:
I don't know if you have sawfly there, but their egg laying can also look like banding on needles.
I got a bad sawfly infestation last year and had a couple JBP trees completely denuded.
CW

I had this symptoms but on fewer needles than this example of Hagedorn' pine ->

Tracking down banding symptoms in black pine - Bonsai Tonight

Not all foliar symptoms are created by pathogens in the foliage.

bonsaitonight.com

I have often fungus probems with pines in my place :/ I plan to water far less in winter than before, to let the soil get dry between each waterings

clem · Jul 2, 2020

2week ago i did mekiri (candles cut) on this tree because it seemed strong enough to me to produce new buds. I removed all the candles longer than 3cm & i let the weak ones. I also let some big candles intact to make them grow to get bigger main trunks
Here is the before/after pics 2 weeks ago ->

before ->

After ->

clem · Jul 2, 2020

before/after

The tree after mekiri. I let a few big candles to make the 2 main tree get bigger

Today, i took pics of the few new buds recently appeared ->

I'll check during the next coming weeks if other buds appear ^^

clem · Oct 1, 2020

Here is the result of the mekiri a month ago (beginning of september) : it depends on trees.

A little tree has very strong candles (this tree was the first to "make" new buds too) ->

3 other trees have middle strength candles ->

The main tree, with its sacrifice branches, has only small new candles shown with the red arrows, probably because the sacrifice branches attract most of the sapp flow ->

There is no candles on this branch (red circle) ->

clem · Oct 1, 2020

In the middle of september, i removed the longest and bad placed candles, following the advise of Bjorn in this very clear video ->

So i left only 2 candles with the same strength on the branches tips... it is much more difficult to do it in real than in the video of Bjorn

The tree after the removal of excessive candles and the cut of some long old needles (Bjorn also cut long needles in half, to get a better looking tree) ->

Those pics show the trees without the sacrifice branches. The main trunk is supposed to grow much more in height and thickness ->

pin thunberg cépée 2020 09 15 001virt.jpg

pin thunberg cépée 2020 09 15 004virt.jpg

clem · Dec 22, 2020

I used those old tea bags (filled with solid organic fertilizer + sphagnum moss) this year to fertilize my acer palmatum. They are 6 months old but still useful to developp mycorrhyzation ->

Pinus Thunbergii (5 trunks from seeds)

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