Next Pine Purchase

Adair M

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It’s still a bit early in the year to “work” JWP. Better to wait until mid/August or September. Check to make sure the sheaths at the base of the needles are gone. That’s the signal the needles are hardened off, and won’t be damaged if you mess around in the branches.

That’s also when you can start fertilizing to build strength for next year.

The old needles should start to turn yellow soon. If they fall off easily when touched, you can clean them out. If they still tend to hang on, don’t pull them off. Just wait until they let go. You can remove any brown ones anytime you see them. I have several pair of good tweezers I use for cleaning my pines.

Your next project will be to begin to search for a good pot!

Also, watch the wire. Especially up towards the apex. You want to remove it before it cuts in too much. If the wire starts to look like it’s flat on the bottom, it’s cutting in.
 

Hawke84

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It’s still a bit early in the year to “work” JWP. Better to wait until mid/August or September. Check to make sure the sheaths at the base of the needles are gone. That’s the signal the needles are hardened off, and won’t be damaged if you mess around in the branches.

That’s also when you can start fertilizing to build strength for next year.

The old needles should start to turn yellow soon. If they fall off easily when touched, you can clean them out. If they still tend to hang on, don’t pull them off. Just wait until they let go. You can remove any brown ones anytime you see them. I have several pair of good tweezers I use for cleaning my pines.

Your next project will be to begin to search for a good pot!

Also, watch the wire. Especially up towards the apex. You want to remove it before it cuts in too much. If the wire starts to look like it’s flat on the bottom, it’s cutting in.

thank you good advice. I havent done anything other than removed a few really dominant shoots as it wasnt pinched this year so was a bit straggly. I've generally removed the central shoot and left the two weaker in a fork.
agree would like to find a good pot. its in bad need of a repot as the water takes about 30 seconds to drain off the surface during watering.
 

Adair M

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thank you good advice. I havent done anything other than removed a few really dominant shoots as it wasnt pinched this year so was a bit straggly. I've generally removed the central shoot and left the two weaker in a fork.
agree would like to find a good pot. its in bad need of a repot as the water takes about 30 seconds to drain off the surface during watering.
You could perform “soji”, which is removal of the top 1/2 to 3/4 inch of soil off the top, and replacing it with fresh bonsai soil. This will remove moss, weeds, old fertilizer fines, algae, etc which might be causing water to stand. The time to do a full repot isn’t until next spring, and soji can help in the meantime.

Use a pair of sturdy bent tip tweezers to scrape across the top of the soil from the base of the trunk to the edge of the pot. It should be a one way scrape: from the nebari towards the edge. Remove the loosened soil material. Get it even, all the way around. Replace with fresh bonsai soil. No need for moss.
 

Hawke84

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You could perform “soji”, which is removal of the top 1/2 to 3/4 inch of soil off the top, and replacing it with fresh bonsai soil. This will remove moss, weeds, old fertilizer fines, algae, etc which might be causing water to stand. The time to do a full repot isn’t until next spring, and soji can help in the meantime.

Use a pair of sturdy bent tip tweezers to scrape across the top of the soil from the base of the trunk to the edge of the pot. It should be a one way scrape: from the nebari towards the edge. Remove the loosened soil material. Get it even, all the way around. Replace with fresh bonsai soil. No need for moss.
it is able to take a drink but just have to do carefully. my gut feel is to leave it as its still showing vigor and do a proper repot in the spring rather than doing soji now and then another insult in the spring.
I'll have a think though and a research. I dont want to get enthusiastic and do everything at once and harm the tree. currently its challenging to poke a chopstick into the soil in any point. the retaining wires are rusted so probably int he pot for around 5 years or so. The water is standing even in the corners so i think the soil is fairly compacted.

thoughts on dilute hydrogen peroxide?
 

Adair M

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Hydrogen peroxide is an insult!

Soji is not an insult! It’s routine maintenance. I do it to all my trees, every year.


Your trimming is more of an insult than soji.
 

coltranem

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I have used the technique @Adair M is describing earlier this year and it made watering much easier. In the end I still needed to repot but it helped me water more thoroughly up to that point.
 

Hawke84

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Hydrogen peroxide is an insult!

Soji is not an insult! It’s routine maintenance. I do it to all my trees, every year.


Your trimming is more of an insult than soji.
ok let me do some research. I like to really understanding what im doing before i leap.


just for anyone who comes across this thread in the future, found this with pictures showing the process
https://aijoubonsai.wordpress.com/tag/soji/
 

Adair M

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Yes, soji is done every fall for the trees I am not planning to repot the following spring. The reason not to is wasting good new soil if it’s going to be replaced in a month or two. I tend to do it whether the tree drains well or not. It’s a preventative step.

However, if a tree isn’t draining, I would do it immediately regardless of my future potting plans.
 

Hawke84

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Yes, soji is done every fall for the trees I am not planning to repot the following spring. The reason not to is wasting good new soil if it’s going to be replaced in a month or two. I tend to do it whether the tree drains well or not. It’s a preventative step.

However, if a tree isn’t draining, I would do it immediately regardless of my future potting plans.
Thank you. Have learnt something new. I'll hunt out some strong tweezers to use
 

Hawke84

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ok Soji done. took over an hour. thats tough on the old wrist! Before and after photos. nipped a couple of surface roots which i assume will be ok.
It did reveal a few patches of totally bone dry soil missed by watering. its still slow to drain down after but hopefully this will help until i can repot next spring.

@Adair M im assuming nothing else needed, any more tips or aftercare? im guessing the tree wont really notice. thanks again

20190723_193549.jpg

20190723_200618.jpg
 

LanceMac10

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Have a pointy awl or something similar to insert into the soil, much like aerating a poorly growing lawn?
 

Hawke84

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Have a pointy awl or something similar to insert into the soil, much like aerating a poorly growing lawn?
i tried gently with a chopstick, unless i use a hammer it aint getting in there! i'll see if i have an awl kicking around. it makes me nervous messing around too much in the pot this time of year though, its been drilled into me too much!
 

Adair M

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It looks like you didn’t replace the soil you scraped away. Your soil surface should look like this when you’re finished:

B43C27D5-91B5-42E7-9AAB-29B8D9BF8AF6.jpeg
 
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