Calling Anyone with Pitch Pines

Tidal Bonsai

Omono
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Hey Guys,

I have a bunch of Pitch Pines I started training/growing this season, and I have been very happy to see good growth, horizontally trained root systems (they were all in nursery cans initially), and budding on low branches. I am really enjoying having some success working with this native species, but I had a couple questions:

1. I have seen some post some written about de-candling, but has anyone tried needle plucking to balance strength?

2. Anyone have success back budding
on branches? One of my trees back budded low on the trunk, but buds always seem to pop on branch tips for me the past few months.
 

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GGB

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In going to give pitch pine e a second shot this fall. I found them very frustrating last year. I think starting with youngish material, like yours, is the way to go. Mine got mites real bad and threw out so many buds at the base of the trunk they got inverse taper. I was so annoyed i threw an in the garbage. They were old and expensive. Next time I get 2/3 year old saplings
 

vancehanna

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why not collect? You're both in the region that would offer great potensai (yamadori) Randy Schmallenberg years ago did a lot with this species. I purchased the MABA auction tree when he was the headliner at MABA(probably back in the 90's) when it was in Milwaukee. He had styled it as a windswept but I later converted it to a full cascade. They back bud (adventitious) quite easily. Keep in full sun for vigorous growth. Pitch Pine01.jpg This photo is from 2000.
 

Tidal Bonsai

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Where were you a year ago! Haha!!!

I really have grown to like this species a lot! I sold off the seedlings, but I kept the bigger trees for myself. I also collected three this year, but only one made it. You have a great specimen there, Marty has some secret spots where he collects. Typically, in my area I only see them growing in sand where the roots go deep.
 

Orion_metalhead

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Really difficult to collect in their native environment by us Sal. But they bud back tremendously especially on older bark... throw out buds all over the place. Im starting a crap ton from seed this year. Just moved mine to full sun last week.

Sal, how is the literati you brought to club doing?
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I had a few pitch pine seedlings. They grew well enough, immediately started back budding at the base. The only thing I did not like was the needles all had a twist. JBP has nice straight needles. The needles of pitch pine have a wavy twist to them, which might seem like nit picking, but it bothered me.

I still have seed left over, I will start another batch.

My summers are too short to reliably get enough time to get 2 flushes from JBP. I usually can not decandle JBP. So I never attempted decandling Pitch pines.
 

Tidal Bonsai

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Really difficult to collect in their native environment by us Sal. But they bud back tremendously especially on older bark... throw out buds all over the place. Im starting a crap ton from seed this year. Just moved mine to full sun last week.

Sal, how is the literati you brought to club doing?

It’s doing very well!
I am going to bring it to the next meeting for our decandling lecture/demo. Our club has limited experience with pines, so I thought it would be cool for the members to see it at key times over the course of this season (after initial styling, at decandling time, and in the fall when it’s time to shoot select, pluck and wire again). I am not proclaiming myself to be an expert, but I have learned a lot from one.
 

Tidal Bonsai

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I had a few pitch pine seedlings. They grew well enough, immediately started back budding at the base. The only thing I did not like was the needles all had a twist. JBP has nice straight needles. The needles of pitch pine have a wavy twist to them, which might seem like nit picking, but it bothered me.

I still have seed left over, I will start another batch.

My summers are too short to reliably get enough time to get 2 flushes from JBP. I usually can not decandle JBP. So I never attempted decandling Pitch pines.

Needles are very wavy and thin when young, they stiffen up with age. The nice thing about pitch pine is that they readily send multiple shoots from almost all branch tips without doing anything to them! Ease up on the fertilizer in the spring, and you should have some good needle reduction without any extra effort. It will take longer, but the results should be ok.
 

Giga

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I have an old pitch pine I collected - I treat it same as my black pine. Only issue is it back buds too much, in places I don't want lol
 

Tidal Bonsai

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I have an old pitch pine I collected - I treat it same as my black pine. Only issue is it back buds too much, in places I don't want lol

A tip I got from Jim Doyle about this species is to be diligent about removing excessive budding unless it is where you want it. I have only started doing this in the spring, so I will report on how it works long term.
 

Mayank

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why not collect? You're both in the region that would offer great potensai (yamadori) Randy Schmallenberg years ago did a lot with this species. I purchased the MABA auction tree when he was the headliner at MABA(probably back in the 90's) when it was in Milwaukee. He had styled it as a windswept but I later converted it to a full cascade. They back bud (adventitious) quite easily. Keep in full sun for vigorous growth. View attachment 245611 This photo is f
Hi @vancehanna. any current images of the tree?
 

rockm

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You can find this species in club sales and local shows here. I've seen several for sale in both places. Nature's Way had a workshop with collected material in April...FWIW, starting with seedlings is futile. Don't have to and you won't want to once you find old established material...

 

Martin Sweeney

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Here is a 5 year old pitch pine seedling I've been growing since it was a 1 year old seedling. It's been in the 1gl pot for 2 years now. Planning to pot it into a training pot this Spring with the goal of eventually making it into a shohin.
 

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BonjourBonsai

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Looks good! That trunk is nice. Did you cut it back over the years you had it in a pot?
 

Martin Sweeney

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Looks good! That trunk is nice. Did you cut it back over the years you had it in a pot?

Thanks, yes. It was pruned to start some movement and then was allowed to grow for a year. Was wired 2018 to place some more movement.

Regards,
Martin
 

BonjourBonsai

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Thought I'd share some photos of pitch pines from the bonsai collection at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. This will give us some inspiration!
 

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Shogun610

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Thought I'd share some photos of pitch pines from the bonsai collection at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. This will give us some inspiration!
I like that first Pine the best , yes Mr Akamura was a great individual for east coast Bonsai back in the beginning. Pitch pine is making a comeback, stay tuned .
 

BonjourBonsai

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And some more
 

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