Book for pines in general

[sfhellwig]

Looking for a book like Bonsai with Japanese Maples but for pines. Maybe a little more inclusive, not just Japanese Black and White pines as it might be a while till I would acquire one of those. Looking to work with Mugo and Scots pines. I have read the section in another Adam's book on working a Scots pine. And there are several articles online I am rereading. But a nice, all-in-one reference manual wold be conducive to more complete learning and retention. Flipping back and forth is getting me more confused.

 

[Rick Moquin]

Stone Lantern has the book on pines, JBP and JWP. Although it is pretty comprehensive, there are far better works (articles) written on the various forums (read more in depth).

 

[Anonymous User]

The book Rick mentioned is 'Bonsai Todays' Master Series - Pines' and is a decent book.

'Bonsai from the Wild' by Nick Lenz also contains some great information.

 

[irene_b]

Best books for anything is Bonsai Techniques 1 & 2 by John Naka....

 

[mcpesq817]

Hans has a very well written article on caring for pines on his website. He covers all types of pines, and through the completely annual cycle. Even though english is not his first language, to me it's the mostly clearly written guide out there.

The Stone Lantern book is ok, but since it's a compilation of various prior articles (that I believe were translated), terminology is often times not consistent, which can be confusing.

The Naka books are fantastic, but I don't think they will give you the pine-specific information you are looking for.

Boon also has a couple of DVDs on black pine repotting and candling techniques, which you might find helpful if you start adding JBPs to your collection.

 

[Redwing]

Boon also has a couple of DVDs on black pine repotting and candling techniques, which you might find helpful if you start adding JBPs to your collection.

IMHO, Boon's DVD's are the only way to go unless you read Japanese.
http://www.bonsaiboon.com/pages/shopping.html

-rw

 

[wvbonsai]

With pines probably more than any other species there are distinct camps who have differing techniques. For example Naka recommends cutting candles longer than one inch as they develop while Boon mandates that candles are allowed to grow freely entil the candling takesnplace around the fourth of July. That being said, you must understand that their will be different techniques described author to author that acchieve the same end

 

[Redwing]

With pines probably more than any other species there are distinct camps who have differing techniques. For example Naka recommends cutting candles longer than one inch as they develop while Boon mandates that candles are allowed to grow freely entil the candling takesnplace around the fourth of July. That being said, you must understand that their will be different techniques described author to author that acchieve the same end

Also one needs to understand the context and purpose of these approaches. Boon's method is to be applied to healthy trees in high-quality soil, with the date being appropriate for e.g. California. The result is a new set of shorter candles and increased ramification in a single year, but one has to adjust appropriately. Bad idea on an unhealthy tree; remove earlier in the PacNW, etc.

-rw

 

[Chris Johnston]

With pines probably more than any other species there are distinct camps who have differing techniques. For example Naka recommends cutting candles longer than one inch as they develop while Boon mandates that candles are allowed to grow freely entil the candling takesnplace around the fourth of July. That being said, you must understand that their will be different techniques described author to author that acchieve the same end

Also remember that there are dozens or hundreds of techniques each depending on the state of the tree, its health, its location, its growing habits, where on the tree the candle is, the desired outcome, etc. Boon will let some candles grow and pinch back sometimes, etc. This is why only so much can be accomplished from a book. Learning from someone who has studied for years and years can help cut through that confusion.

 

[sfhellwig]

I thought I left a reply the other day but must not have submitted it before closing out.

Will, thanks for pointing me to the book reviews. Those are very enlightening views of those titles. While the Masters series book seems too specific for my material right now, it goes on my list of "to buy". Same with the Boone DVDs, I love video but have no intention of going after JBP for now. The Nick Lenz book actually has me very interested. I wanted it for the collecting information but seems it would also be helpful written from N. American timing.

The Naka books are already on my list but I understand they are not pine specific. A quick search for articles by Hans looks promising. Looks like I need a binder, I have some printing to do.

 

[cquinn]

I thought I left a reply the other day but must not have submitted it before closing out.

Will, thanks for pointing me to the book reviews. Those are very enlightening views of those titles. While the Masters series book seems too specific for my material right now, it goes on my list of "to buy". Same with the Boone DVDs, I love video but have no intention of going after JBP for now. The Nick Lenz book actually has me very interested. I wanted it for the collecting information but seems it would also be helpful written from N. American timing.

The Naka books are already on my list but I understand they are not pine specific. A quick search for articles by Hans looks promising. Looks like I need a binder, I have some printing to do.

Both of the Naka books have sections that are Pine specific. No other bonsai books are really needed. Get those books and then get a teacher. After you have a teacher reread the books and the information will mean something totally different to you, and you'll understand why everyone toughts those books. Pay very close attention to the drawings and the written words attached to them. They are really treasures. Walter Pall has talked in the past on his early use of the books. I do like the Stone Lantern Book though. It inspired me to buy a bunch of pine seedlings and put them in Collanders.

 

[mcpesq817]

A quick search for articles by Hans looks promising.

Here are links to Hans' articles on 2-needle pines that I was thinking of. I thought he had an article that covered 5-needle species as well, but I can't seem to find them:

http://www.karamotto.org/?page=21

http://knowledgeofbonsai.org/articl...rimming-pinching/two-needle-pine-care-basics/

Looks like I need a binder, I have some printing to do.

Don't make the mistake of creating bookmarks to your favorite articles or threads. Given the fact that bonsai boards can go down and content generally become unavailable, it's worth taking the time to print out things that you might find helpful. I had bookmarked a number of great articles on BonsaiTalk from Al and others, which I now do not have access to.

 

[FrankP999]

Don't make the mistake of creating bookmarks to your favorite articles or threads. Given the fact that bonsai boards can go down and content generally become unavailable, it's worth taking the time to print out things that you might find helpful. I had bookmarked a number of great articles on BonsaiTalk from Al and others, which I now do not have access to.

Instead of printing to paper, I print to a PDF file. That way I have all the articles I wish to save in an electronic form. Google "PDF Creator" for programs that do this.

Frank

 

[mcpesq817]

Instead of printing to paper, I print to a PDF file. That way I have all the articles I wish to save in an electronic form. Google "PDF Creator" for programs that do this.

Frank

Even better idea!

 

[rockm]

I would not use the Lenz book as a guide to pine care. His info covers Ponderosa pine, pitch pine and other specific species. Care for each is vastly different. Pitch pine can be pruned back to bare branches, ponderosa cannot...Practices common for Japanese Black pine probably can't be literally transferred from instructions on Ponderosa or pitch.

 

[sfhellwig]

I would not use the Lenz book as a guide to pine care. His info covers Ponderosa pine, pitch pine and other specific species. Care for each is vastly different. Pitch pine can be pruned back to bare branches, ponderosa cannot...Practices common for Japanese Black pine probably can't be literally transferred from instructions on Ponderosa or pitch.

Thank you for bringing up that point. If there is one thing this thread has exposed, it is the fact that care of one pine should not be applied to another. Having said that I guess I should point out what I will and won't be doing:

I don't plan on pursuing a JBP or JWP for a few years. I don't even know where I would start looking for one. I kind of doubt there is a nursery anywhere near me where I could go and buy one.
I do have a mugo already.
I would like to acquire a Scots pine as I know they are workable and I could buy locally. I might even look for a ponderosa as they are also workable. Hey, Harry has at least one so they must be alright.
I own an eastern white pine. I know, I know. It was early on but hey, there is an article out there about them.

So now that you know my bastard list of pine trees, you can see that some of these suggestions are quite appropriate. I definitely feel better about the availability of info out there.

 

[rockm]

For what it's worth, I have found that Japanese Black Pine is tougher than Scots pine. I've killed very nice scots pines, but have mostly hamhandedly abused black pine for a decade and can't seem to kill it...

Forget Japanese white pine..it just sucks--it's pretty much the BIchon Frise or miniature poodle of the bonsai world--tempermental, borderline psychotic in its needs---

From what I have seen, Ponderosa is the toughest conifer customer out there for bonsai, though--AND they've become extremely affordable (relatively) and are readily available.