Everlong
Seedling
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
Everlong
Seedling
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
Everlong
Seedling
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.
Everlong
Seedling
Thanks for the sanity check - I’m still doubting myself today!
SgtPilko
Shohin
What you like the best is most important, but objectively the nebari, branching and taper are better, and easier for a novice on the JBP roots too. In the coming years you can style to your own tastes, bring down the needle size. Well done!
Everlong
Seedling
Thanks for the confirmation that, despite being a newbie, I made the right choice. I believe I did but it's nice to hear others with more experience agree. From my reading, when to wire seems to vary depending on source, but I think that the general consensus points towards early autumn as the ideal time to do it. That gives me 8-9 months to a) keep it alive and b) think about how I'd like to style it.
I'm already excited at the prospect of candle pinching LOL
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Yes, early fall is a good time to wire JWP.
Candle pinching for JWP: as they extend, and just before you can see the needle tips poke through the sheath, break big ones down to the “average” size of the other candles. You can also remove candles that emerge in excess of 2 per tip, so that each branch tip has 1-2 candles of approximately equal size throughout the tree by the time you can see the new needles.
Don’t fertilize JWP much until late summer/early fall or the needles will get too long.
Everlong
Seedling
Fantastic - thanks so much for confirming that I'm on the right lines with my "planning"
