Japanese Red Pine Techniques

[AndyJ]

Hi folks.

I've got hold of a few Japanese Red Pines (Pinus Densiflora?) and was wondering what teqniques I should use to grow them? I know they are a two flush prune, like JBP, is everything else the same? What are they like in terms of vitality etc? Are they cold tolerant? Should I keep them on the dry side?

Any help and advice you could offer would be welcome,

Many thanks,

Andy

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I found they're just a bit more resiliant compared to JBP when it comes to climate. But I keep reading to treat them the same, so I did. And they respond somewhat in the same manner. RP is a bit slower to respond to techniques like pruning. But that's about it. Both vigorous growers. Both equally cold tolerant (as far as iknow)

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Some random notes from my experience with both JBP and JRP:
1. JRP is more cold hardy.
2. JRP is more sensitive to wet soil, and should be in a lot of pumice.
3. JRP is more brittle, and even pencil-thick shoots snap off easily when wiring.
4. JRP start moving earlier in the year than JBP, and grow more slowly, but are still quite vigorous.
5. They can both be treated the same, in terms of candle-cutting, needle pulling, feeding, and timing of work.
6. JRP foliage is thinner and softer, and more prone to some fungal problems, but not as prone to needle cast.
7. JRP tends to produce more buds at terminals, resulting in more whorls of growth. It is easily managed, however.
8. JRP lends itself to thinner trunk styles, like literati. If yours are young, add interesting trunk movement early.
9. They make beautiful Bonsai and you should share pix of yours?.

 

[coh]

4. JRP start moving earlier in the year than JBP, and grow more slowly, but are still quite vigorous.

Do you tend to decandle them a little earlier than JBP to compensate for this?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Do you tend to decandle them a little earlier than JBP to compensate for this?

I did decandle earlier than JBP when I had JRP at that stage. I have killed all but one I owned (root rot) and am growing that one from seed now, which is too young to decandle. @Dav4 decandles his later than JBP.

 

[AndyJ]

Thank you for sharing your experiences, Brian and Wires - I'll make some notes. What I have are just this year's seedlings so not a lot to show but I will post them just for reference. Hoping to try and do a clump - I have a couple of deciduous clumps in the making so thought I'd try it out with some Pines. I would like to have tried it with JWP but finding JWP seedlings in UK is like find g hens teeth ....

 

[Dav4]

More cold tolerant then jbp for sure. Healthy jrp bud back as well or better then jbp in my yard. I honestly treat them just like jbp except I decandle a week or two later as the buds pop sooner.

 

[River's Edge]

Hi folks.

I've got hold of a few Japanese Red Pines (Pinus Densiflora?) and was wondering what teqniques I should use to grow them? I know they are a two flush prune, like JBP, is everything else the same? What are they like in terms of vitality etc? Are they cold tolerant? Should I keep them on the dry side?

Any help and advice you could offer would be welcome,

Many thanks,

Andy

I have found the JRP to be vigorous but slower in growth than my JBP. They tend to be a more slender tree that elongates faster than puts on girth. JRP under the same conditions will reach the same height as JBP in the same period of time but will be quite a bit thinner in the trunk and have longer more graceful needles. Brian's notes are correct. Once established they appear to become more vigorous each year. My first batch of JRP from seed my teacher gave me , are now seven years old. From the eighteen surviving, started with 24 seeds, the range in size is quite dramatic. Several over four feet and several under 18 inches. The shorter tree's are denser with more branching. Genetic variation in the seed i am guessing! Here is a picture of that two tallest with candles extending this spring.
I treat the JRP the same as JBP in accordance with the way i was taught and the literature in my library. And to date they respond the same way in development.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

2. JRP is more sensitive to wet soil, and should be in a lot of pumice

I'm reporting the exact opposite here for seedlings. BP drop like flies with a little over watering, RP doesn't care. My seeds all come from China, it might have something to do with that. Maybe the RP come from a swampy area where natural selection did it's part. It's hard to say. Interesting at least!

 

[Clicio]

I care for JBP and JRP just the same, including watering (let them dry a little, etc,etc) and they seem happy.

 

[bwaynef]

• I wish I'd been given the tip on add'l pumice a couple of springs ago.
• I've noticed the branches can be a little snappy. (Luckily none of the ones I've snapped were crucial to the design, ...and the ones that didn't die outright have almost entirely healed.)
• I wonder if others have noticed JRP tend to backbud more/further than JBP.