my first scots pine. what do you think?

Adair M

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Thank you for the advice and clarification. If you don’t mind me asking how should I change the soil in March. I have read I can’t take too many roots off. I am nervous to kill it. Thanks.
Go read my posts in the “Repotting and Half Bare Rooting Pines” thread. It’s all there.
 

Japonicus

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@redox1856
BTW you got a white pine not a Scots
Your tree is a scots pine in my opinion.
This is why needle count is so specific.
It is common for nursery tags to be mislabeled, mixed up, or just random in the worst case.
It happens more than one might think, and easy to do really.
At a quick glance, your foliage tips in the 1st pics appear to have that light blue stripe
along each needle which points to JWP given needle length, not EWP.
However the bark on branches and trunk this size/age, voids the idea of WP.


Then, there are those here who treat Scots pine as Mugo and will advise against Spring root work
as @M. Frary suggested.
I don’t have a Scots, but I do have a Mugo on Scots root stock, and I will repot as Mugo goes when time, myself.

Frank @River's Edge or Leo suggest not to do root work 2 years running on conifers.
Since you’ve just put this in the pond basket, I wonder if Frank still suggests Spring repotting?
 

River's Edge

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@redox1856


This is why needle count is so specific.
It is common for nursery tags to be mislabeled, mixed up, or just random in the worst case.
It happens more than one might think, and easy to do really.
At a quick glance, your foliage tips in the 1st pics appear to have that light blue stripe
along each needle which points to JWP given needle length, not EWP.
However the bark on branches and trunk this size/age, voids the idea of WP.


Then, there are those here who treat Scots pine as Mugo and will advise against Spring root work
as @M. Frary suggested.
I don’t have a Scots, but I do have a Mugo on Scots root stock, and I will repot as Mugo goes when time, myself.

Frank @River's Edge or Leo suggest not to do root work 2 years running on conifers.
Since you’ve just put this in the pond basket, I wonder if Frank still suggests Spring repotting?
Root Work is a general term LOL
Bare Root, 1/2 HBR, segmented repot, trim a bit off the bottom and sides to just give extra room for rejuvenation, excavate the core of compacted soil and dead roots.
Whenever one sits down to do a repot the condition of the tree is first examined. Then the condition of the roots after careful removal from the container.
Any reccomendation to do root work in consecutive growing seasons would presume knowledge, experience and careful interpretation of the situation.
For example it is not uncommon to do root work in the spring, then the fall, then the spring. This all is contingent on training, experience and the type of root work performed. What can be done with vigorous trees and careful technique will kill weak tree's or even strong trees in inexperienced hands.
Short story, blanket rules in Bonsai suck.
 

Paulpash

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The OP has chosen one of the more difficult tasks in bonsai for a beginner - to transition a nursery pine from organics to inorganic and keep it healthy and alive. Good advice has been given but one cannot quantify how much is too much - you only learn that by going through the process and Pines are unforgiving if they are not treated with care. Good luck finding out!
 

Adair M

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The OP has chosen one of the more difficult tasks in bonsai for a beginner - to transition a nursery pine from organics to inorganic and keep it healthy and alive. Good advice has been given but one cannot quantify how much is too much - you only learn that by going through the process and Pines are unforgiving if they are not treated with care. Good luck finding out!
The HBR process I’ve documented is the way to go.
 
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