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So at the request of my roommate, I collected pine cones to deck the halls with. I thought about an article I read recently on bonsaitonight about gathering black pine cones and starting bonsai from seed, and thought it would be a fun experiment. I've done this before with JWP, but all the...

Hi, Does anyone know how to stimulate air roots on a Willow Leaf Ficus? Recently purchased a Willow Leaf Ficus (will post photos tomorrow), but it has an ugly root base and poor branch structure. So why did I buy it? Because it was cheap and I've always wanted one!:p It has lots of new growth...

Hi all, I just purchased a rosemary that's about as thick as a pencil. I just slip potted it into a larger pot in regular miracle grow potting soil. I read a few general care articles saying they need to be in a conifer mix, but I also read several threads on different bonsai forums saying...

Hi all, I just purchased a small old collected Black Hills Spruce at the 3rd National Bonsai Exhibition. It has the tiniest green needles and flaky bark. It's the first spruce I've cared for. It's healthy looking, but since it was only collected in 2010 I'm in the process of bringing it back to...

Chinese Elm as urban bonsai Hi all, I have some awesome trees that I have to now put into the care of a good friend while I move to a NYC apartment for a few years. During that time, I'll need something to keep me entertained while I'm denied my sun loving outdoor trees =( I figured I...

Hi, Just wondering if anyone has experience growing JWP from seed? Last year I purchased 19 seeds. They all sprouted, which was exciting, but then all got fried by the heat of a hot summer weekend while I was out of town. I'm giving it another go, so I collected some JWP seeds from trees in...

Hi everyone, I wanted to post photos of my first potted tree. This Kiyohime has gone under tremendous changes in a very short period of time, and is responding beautifully. It's been a fun learning process. Here are some photos of its progression. Tree as purchased last summer. Tree after...

Hi, So I discovered after I brought my collected Pitch Pine out of dormancy into an area with full sun that some of the needles that appeared to be scorched, were actually suffering from an invasion of pine needleminers! According to an article I read about the little bastards and...

Hi, I purchased a Kiyohime maple last summer at a regular nursery and I'm planning to repot it this spring into a bonsai pot. It has a massive base for it's size. I chopped off much of the foliage down to the most inner nodes that still have a bud. Some of the branches are still quite thick...

Hi, Does anyone have experience with or comprehensive bonsai care info on Princess Persimmons? All I know is that they need both male and female plans for the female plant to produce fruit. I just purchased a male and female plant. They are still pre-bonsai, but already look pretty nice to...

Hi, We've had an unusually warm winter here in New York. So much so that my pines are starting to move. They're mulched with pine needles under a thick grove of JWP that were planted 25 years ago in the ground. They wintered there very nicely last year, but this year's freakishly warm (high 50s...

Warm winter issues Hi, We've had an unusually warm winter here in New York. So much so that my pines are starting to move. They're mulched with pine needles under a thick grove of JWP that were planted 25 years ago in the ground. They wintered there very nicely last year, but this year's...

Hi, I have several questions regarding pitch pine training and care. 1) How do they respond to candle removal techniques? I heard that they will put out lots of buds, but unlike 2 needle pines not necessarily at the bud terminals, making refinement a challenge. 2) Are there any diseases...

Hi everyone, I just wired a 4y/o JRP into literati style. The lower trunk is about 1/2". I know I'm a long ways away from anything spectacular, but I'm enjoying the creating and learning process. I'm aware that this species is rarely used in this country, and cannot understand why. It's just as...

Hi all, I wanted to know if anyone here has experience growing grewia occidentalis indoors? I haven't seen any nice bonsai photos of this species, and I'm wondering why this species isn't used more often, like Chinese Elm or ficus. I just purchased this stick-in-a-pot yesterday and would like...

I collected this Pitch Pine clump from a high rock face in mid August, and by myself!! It had a compact root ball, with only several long roots and a 2" thick tap root that anchored it in the rock crevice. I pruned it in mid June to ease the process of collection, but the thing was still much...

I've been interested in growing pomegranate bonsai for some time now, but I'm not sure how well they will do in the NYC area. I don't have any place in the house that's cool enough for winter storage, so the only options are to leave it somewhere very well protected outside or give it a brief...

Hi all, I plan to repot a nursery stock kiyohime JM next spring into a training bonsai pot. What kind of bonsai soil (specific ingredients) should I use and how much root pruning can JM take? It has a 3" trunk and already naturally ramified branches. Would defoliation effect the strength...

So I've never had any problems with this tree until recently. I started noticing the tips of the upper needles turning black and gradually browning the rest of the needles. It's spread to different parts of the tree and others are less effected. At this point the tips are black and brown and it...

Hi everyone, I just purchased a Kiyohime Japanese Maple at a local nursery since I heard they are one of the more prefered cultivars for used in bonsai. It has a nice flaring nebari, 2" trunk base, and naturally tiny leaves (will post photos soon). One of the things I'm worried about is the...

Hi everyone, My red Japanese maple had normal leaves earlier in the spring, but the new growth always turns out to be malformed. The leaves stay wrinkled and some only have 3 lobes rather than the usual 5. Even their shape this year is completely different from last year. Could this be some...

This afternoon I found something I've never seen before, black spots/blotches on old needles of one of my JWP. I can't imagin it being root rot, since it's in inorganic substrate and I only water when necessary. I also read that JWP are substantially more resistant to needle cast/other foliage...

Hi, does anyone have experience successfully using pinus rigida (pitch pine) for bonsai? I've heard they take well to bonsai cultivation and I'm planning to collect one in my area. Although my experience lies primarily in Japanese White, Black and Red pines, I believe most pines require more...

Hi everyone, I'm considering to collect American Red pine/Norway pine (pinus resinosa). They're on rocky ridges in my area. They have uniquely red fissured bark and irregular shapes. I would like to know more about the species and how it would respond to bonsai cultivation. So if anyone had...

Hi everyone, I'm considering to collect American Red pine/Norway pine (pinus resinosa). They're on rocky ridges in my area. They have uniquely red fissured bark and irregular shapes. I would like to know more about the species and how it would respond to bonsai cultivation. So if anyone had...