Help with my White Pine

[Henna Gaijin]

Hello,

I've attached some photos of a Japanese White Pine I'm growing. The seeds were planted about 2.5 years ago. I wanted to get opinions if I should start pruning or pinching candles yet or should I let it go for another year? I don't want to pinch early, but I don't want to neglect it either.


Thank You!

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[buddhamonk]

let it go for another several years. You want to grow the trunk, pinching only applies once you've got the trunk established

 

[Henna Gaijin]

Now 3.5 years old. Any tips?

Now 3.5 years old. Any tips?

 

[tanlu]

1st, I'm glad this is from seed and not a graft =) I'm a huge fan of non-grafted JWP. JWP in particular are very diversified when started from seedlings. It's always fascinating to me to see how each seedling develops unique attributes, adding character to the finished tree, not to mention the satisfaction one gets from growing from seed.

I think you should let it grow another year without cutting anything yet. It looks extremely healthy and there's probably lots of microbes in the soil that the tree is benefiting from. Always remember that the nebari and base trunk are the most important physical attributes of all bonsai. If you haven't done so already, I would make a note to chop off the entire tap root next spring, as this will cause the base to swell and thus thicken the trunk more quickly.

T

 

[Henna Gaijin]

Now 5.5 years old. Any tips?

Now 5.5 years old. Any tips?

 

[Paradox]

Sorry I cant offer any advice.

I just wanted to day nice job on keeping it alive, healthy and growing all this time.

 

[october]

You have done a good job with this tree. It has grown pretty fast for a white pine. If you want a taller tree. You might want to let it grow for about 5 plus years. However, if you want a shorter, more compact tree, I would cut off where I designated in the virt. Also, besides removing that big leader, you could remove 2 of the branches from that area as well. Maybe leave 2 branches there.

Either way, this is a very long term project. You already have 2.5 years in. However, white pine grow very slowly, so figure another 8-10 years before this starts to really look like a bonsai.

Rob