I learned something new with this cork bark black pine

[markyscott]

Here's a nishiki Japanese Black Pine I purchased in California from Jim Gremel a couple of years ago. Jim had obtained it from a collector who was no longer able to care for his trees and had done some preliminary styling. I wired out the rest of the tree and repotted that winter. The tree pushed strong spring growth, so I decandled in summer. Timing was early August - fine for Houston, but pretty late for northern California. All the other black pines I decandled at the same time pushed summer growth without a problem. This black pine, however, set no summer needles, but set buds and back-budded profusely as well. Here is the tree the following winter - all the needles are from the previous season - no 2013 needles at all, but lots of back budding. No needle pulling that winter - bud selection only.

 

[markyscott]

The tree grew strongly this spring. And all the backbuds it had set the previous fall sent strong candles. I experimented with display a bit later in the season - here's one of the pictures from that thread.

 

[markyscott]

Last week was time for summer work and Boon visited my garden. Although spring growth was healthy and strong, Boon recommended that we not decandle as we would have pruned back to 3 year old needles and risked weakening the tree. So we lightly thinned the tip growth and replaced the surface soil. So a couple of new wrinkles for me - if you decandle too late for your climate, the tree can respond by setting buds but won't push summer needles. And it can take a few seasons for black pines to acclimate to a new climate zone. Here are a few pictures from the summer work.

 

[markyscott]

And one more closeup of the trunk. I love cork bark black pine. I'll pull needles I'm the fall and next year the adventitious buds that formed in 2012 will be strong enough for me to prune back to them, forcing more interior growth to improve the branch structure.

Scott

 

[Dav4]

Definitely one of the better corkers I've seen. It looks very happy, too. I was wondering, given the relatively less vigor corkers have compared to regular JBP, if you would just de-candle a few weeks earlier? Also, I wouldn't have thought it wouldn't have acclimated to the Houston area after a year (?). I suppose we'll both find out in a year or two when you de-candle again. Good luck.

 

[october]

This is one of the nicest cork bark pines I have seen. An amazing bonsai!

Rob

 

[markyscott]

Definitely one of the better corkers I've seen. It looks very happy, too. I was wondering, given the relatively less vigor corkers have compared to regular JBP, if you would just de-candle a few weeks earlier? Also, I wouldn't have thought it wouldn't have acclimated to the Houston area after a year (?). I suppose we'll both find out in a year or two when you de-candle again. Good luck.

There are so many variables: vigor of the tree, summer warmth and length of growing season (we generally score highly on that one in Houston), amount of spring feeding, etc. One kind of has to get a feel for the right time to decandle (and when not to) based on the spring growth of the tree. It pays to keep good notes and pictures so that you can judge cause and effect. BVF is one of the best in this regard, I keep having to learn that lesson.

Boon suggested to me to decandle nishiki in alternating years - not so much due to lack of vigor, but in order to promote more rapid corking. But maybe that practice would help with the vigor as well.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

This is one of the nicest cork bark pines I have seen. An amazing bonsai!

Rob

Thank you Rob. Those of us in the SE US are fortunate that such a classic pine species is so ideally suited to our climate. Not many other pine species are, but Black Pine is native to zones 8, 9, and 10 - it loves the heat and humidity (even when I don't). It's native to the coastal areas on the southern parts of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. There are even native coastal stands on Okinawa! Here in Houston it's multinodal (pushes more than one candle a year) in the ground and even in the pot sometimes. Here's a picture taken in mid-September 2012 of multinodal growth on a black pine here in Houston. The tree was decandled in June (early for Houston), so the summer shoot had time to set a bud that sent a new candle in late summer - the second in a single growing season! Really a great tree for our climate.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Light thinning, needle pulling and cut back. Ready for spring!



Scott

 

[Fishtank307]

@markyscott How about an update? It's stunning! I'm glad I clicked on the randomized picture in the header!

 

[LanceMac10]

@Bonsai Nut , what a great idea to have those three random images appear in the header!!!!!

Gem of a thread, and you just can't really remember 'em all. Those images led me back to Scott's great tree!!!

Still with you @markyscott ? Great character at the base and a fun picture of Boon at work!

 

[markyscott]

@Bonsai Nut , what a great idea to have those three random images appear in the header!!!!!

Gem of a thread, and you just can't really remember 'em all. Those images led me back to Scott's great tree!!!

Still with you @markyscott ? Great character at the base and a fun picture of Boon at work!

Afraid not - someone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

S

 

[jriddell88]

Dang, that’s a nice one , it must have been a good number !

?

 

[LanceMac10]

Between an "ideal" climate and your excellent "Shiner Horts in Shorts" care, the notice in greater vigor while maintaining a usable, relatively compact branching is remarkable.




Me? I'm gettin' a 'Vette if someone's buyin' that off my bench!!