First work on prebonsai JBP

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Springtime is a fantastic time of year. Last year I was on the road for the first 9 months of the year. This year I get to work on trees. Today the birds were chirping, the geese were honking their way north, and the coyotes were singing to each other as I watched a spectacular Kansas sunset. Best of all, I got to work on some of my trees.

I am actually beginning to notice the earliest of swelling in the buds on two of my trees, an American elm and a Korean hornbeam. Soon other trees will begin to move, too.

We still expect cold weather between now and "real spring," so repotting is out of the question for just a few more weeks. However, now is the time to do spring wiring and pruning. Here are the before and after shots of this prebonsai JBP that I purchased from Vonsgardens. The branches were long and bare, being very young. I cut back as much as I could and will wait for back budding this year and next.
 

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bonsai barry

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That is some serious needle reduction. I'm looking forward to seeing it fill out as the year progresses.
You've posted a number of interesting trees today. You've been a busy boy this week-end!
 
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The tree has grown very well this year. It's strong and healthy, which I attribute to a very free-draining soil of akadama, haydite, lava, and a bit of horticultural charcoal. I have been feeding very heavily with BioGold Original and watering profusely.

Training of a Japanese black pine at this stage of its development is pretty straightforward. I wait until the end of June, and completely remove the strong candles at the very ends of the growing tips. It doesn't matter how long they get or how long the needles are. Following this regime will produce very strong back budding and increase density of the branches.

The last photo shows some interesting and problematic surface roots.
 
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