I would happily have a Scots Pine instead - I’m struggling to find one I like from online sources
About To Buy My First Japanese White Pine.....thoughts?
- Thread starter Everlong
- Start date
Yeah - I’ve been watching a lot of YT vids including this one
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
The video shows a weird solution to wet soil. Just use a freer draining mix and keep up with repotting. The root masses in the video look dense and slow draining. Any time I see moss and Irish moss that thick on top of soil it indicates too much water
So….I visited the nursery today to view the tree in my original post.
There were many more JWPs to choose from - along with many other types. I ended up narrowing it down to two trees. It took me ages to decide between them.
Tree one is on the left. It’s a more “finished” tree and I couldn’t see me doing much to it other than maintaining it because I love it as it is. The inverse taper through the first big bend did bother me a little and I found the bend a little unnatural looking. The nebari wasn’t great. There were a couple of bar branches and some whorls. However. Even with those flaws I really liked the tree. This tree is ungrafted sitting on its own rootstock. That was a minor concern for me as it potentially make the tree less robust.
Tree two, on the right, needs some more work to develop it but has a lovely nebari, the trunk has a nicer taper and more natural movement to my eye. There is a touch of inverse taper at the first bend but that doesn’t bother me. It’s grafted onto JBP but it’s not jarring to the eye like many grafts where there is a huge difference in thickness and texture.
I’ll need to put more effort in, wiring the thinner branches to build pads and working to encourage back budding to create denser, smaller foliage and more ramification, but I think in time the tree has the potential to be better than the smaller, more fully developed one. There’s also the attraction of playing a more prominent role in the ultimate outcome of the tree’s development. I like a challenge, hence picking a JWP, but ultimately the rewards of success (here’s hoping) will be far more satisfying.
Did I make a stupid decision?
There were many more JWPs to choose from - along with many other types. I ended up narrowing it down to two trees. It took me ages to decide between them.
Tree one is on the left. It’s a more “finished” tree and I couldn’t see me doing much to it other than maintaining it because I love it as it is. The inverse taper through the first big bend did bother me a little and I found the bend a little unnatural looking. The nebari wasn’t great. There were a couple of bar branches and some whorls. However. Even with those flaws I really liked the tree. This tree is ungrafted sitting on its own rootstock. That was a minor concern for me as it potentially make the tree less robust.
Tree two, on the right, needs some more work to develop it but has a lovely nebari, the trunk has a nicer taper and more natural movement to my eye. There is a touch of inverse taper at the first bend but that doesn’t bother me. It’s grafted onto JBP but it’s not jarring to the eye like many grafts where there is a huge difference in thickness and texture.
I’ll need to put more effort in, wiring the thinner branches to build pads and working to encourage back budding to create denser, smaller foliage and more ramification, but I think in time the tree has the potential to be better than the smaller, more fully developed one. There’s also the attraction of playing a more prominent role in the ultimate outcome of the tree’s development. I like a challenge, hence picking a JWP, but ultimately the rewards of success (here’s hoping) will be far more satisfying.
Did I make a stupid decision?
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
You made a good call to grab the one on the right too. It’s a better tree.
Thanks for the sanity check - I’m still doubting myself today!
