Grafting Pine Branches

[Ang3lfir3]

Mountain Mahogany grows like weeds all around here and also in Mojave with the junipers.
I think it's charecteristics make it in the same family of bonsai plants as desiriable but much like manzanita in its pot charecteristics.

They are quite wide spread and do seem to feel like manzanita (tho you can at least get manz to live a few years) in how much they don't appreciate being moved.... I am especially fond of the alder leaf variety.... their natural gnarlyness and small leaves make them very attractive...

Thanks Crust, I might have to take you up on that. I'm not sure whether any of my trees will be ready yet this summer. I collected my first ones last year so I want to see how they fare this spring. I'm pretty confident that they are healthy, but how long would you wait to try grafting?

Depending on when you collected them last year you won't really know for sure if they lived until after June of this year.... takes a while for the Pondys to show their true feelings....

 

[crust]

They are quite wide spread and do seem to feel like manzanita (tho you can at least get manz to live a few years) in how much they don't appreciate being moved.... I am especially fond of the alder leaf variety.... their natural gnarlyness and small leaves make them very attractive...



Depending on when you collected them last year you won't really know for sure if they lived until after June of this year.... takes a while for the Pondys to show their true feelings....

Usually 2 years to show feelings and get in free draining mix and at least one year to zoup up and get growing with lots of fertilizer and water then graft once really growing. sometimes this goes quick or slower but being in a state of vigor and growth I think is the key with these trees. I seems as if it is not apparent that it is welded up by the following year it never will and has to be redone. Also I have found that putting them in huge boxes during this time is counter productive because them they have to be root pruned down again which no pine likes. Get rid of the muck and mountain soil over pottings and get into a coarse durable mix then lots of sun, water and fert then growth push like a nursery plant. Only moderate root room is necessary and they sometimes sulk in big boxes of soil. If you use a coarse turface base add sifted coarse perlite (yes perlite, 3/16 peices, up to 1/3) lava and pumice type based soils are good. This is what I have found. It is hard to learn things here because of the short growing season and my clumbsy horticultural skills. I wish I would win the lottery and could move out to the west coast where you can plunk things in pots and they grow crazy and leave everything on benches all winter--instead I suffer.

 

[Dan W.]

Thanks guys. Your input is helping give me some clearer direction for the next few years.

Crust, pm me if you are interested in coming out collecting anyway. ...maybe we could work out some sort of trade for a larch or something... to start with, until the pondy's are ready to try some grafting?

 

[JudyB]

I wish I would win the lottery and could move out to the west coast where you can plunk things in pots and they grow crazy and leave everything on benches all winter--instead I suffer.

But you wouldn't be able to have larch there...

Oh, wait, you wouldn't be able to have larch there.... You'd have to find foster homes for them!!! mmmmmcrusty!
I'll buy you a ticket!

 

[Dan W.]

Does anyone know for certain...what hardiness attributes a Ponderosa grafted with JBP foliage will take? I have heard that some believe it will hold the hardiness of ponderosa, and I have also heard Ryan Neil say just the opposite is true. I think I may have to just take some young pondy's and give it a shot to see what happens. Then at least I won't lose a nice old one.

Another thought.... I have been mostly looking at two needle pines as possible foliage replacement for ponderosa...but the Japanese often graft 5 needle to JBP. Maybe I should give JWP or limber more attention as a possiblity?

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Crust,
"I potted them up and used inarch and one point grafts during the height growing season. "

Could yo please expain what "one point graft" is? I have two books on grafting. One is considered the bible of grafting. Neither one mentions a technique called one point grafting.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

Does anyone know for certain...what hardiness attributes a Ponderosa grafted with JBP foliage will take? I have heard that some believe it will hold the hardiness of ponderosa, and I have also heard Ryan Neil say just the opposite is true. I think I may have to just take some young pondy's and give it a shot to see what happens. Then at least I won't lose a nice old one.

Another thought.... I have been mostly looking at two needle pines as possible foliage replacement for ponderosa...but the Japanese often graft 5 needle to JBP. Maybe I should give JWP or limber more attention as a possiblity?

What reasoning was given for the JBP on Ponderosa being hardy only in JBP area (i can see that for the foliage and hence the life blood of the tree... but curious what reason was given)

Why graft limber on ponderosa... the limber pines in the area are fabulous.... maybe even more so than the Ponderosa many times... Ponderosa needle length can be controlled most especially through watering and fertilizer .... other than needle length they have excellent foliage ...

 

[crust]

Crust,
"I potted them up and used inarch and one point grafts during the height growing season. "

Could yo please expain what "one point graft" is? I have two books on grafting. One is considered the bible of grafting. Neither one mentions a technique called one point grafting.

A one point graft is kind of like thread graft. Take a flexible 3/16 or 1/4 inch branch from your seedling stock-- skidge a bit of bark off then carefully bend it back on itself there--drill appropriate hole in live bark of the pondo--push the bent branch in hole--seal up--grow fast. I first saw this in Bonsai Today used on white pine in Japan.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

A one point graft is kind of like thread graft. Take a flexible 3/16 or 1/4 inch branch from your seedling stock-- skidge a bit of bark off then carefully bend it back on itself there--drill appropriate hole in live bark of the pondo--push the bent branch in hole--seal up--grow fast. I first saw this in Bonsai Today used on white pine in Japan.

Ah Ha! Got it.

When you make the bend of the 3/16 stock do you bend the area with the bark removed on it's self, or do you bend it so the bark removed area is on the outside of the bend?