P. Strobus 'minima' - it has all the elements, but is there any hope?

[GGB]

I avoid grafting like the plague, I'm a novice and don't like scarring up trees, but if ever there were a tree to do it to it strobus. I love the foliage, the most recent one I collected looks blue-ish, it's a shame their growth habit is soo ... dorky. They look awkward pre-teens.

 

[0soyoung]

I avoid grafting like the plague, I'm a novice and don't like scarring up trees, but if ever there were a tree to do it to it strobus. I love the foliage, the most recent one I collected looks blue-ish, it's a shame their growth habit is soo ... dorky. They look awkward pre-teens.

I am embarrassed by how long I put off grafting in my bonsai adventure. It is one of the basic tools we have at our disposal: prune, wire, layer, graft - what else can we use to manipulate the growth of our trees toward our desired ends?

One cannot prune a tree without creating wounds or 'scarring up trees' - the wounds often will never be covered over. Internodes last forever or they must be cut off and created anew. Many times there are nice trunks but for one long internode; choices are chopping (making a massive scar) and growing again or grafting. Grafting can put a branch in the internode where it will not occur naturally but can make the difference between an outstanding tree and junk.

There are many outstanding bonsai that exist solely because of grafting. Most notable to me are the groups of tall thin acer palmatums stems emanating from a massive pancake nebari - just cannot happen naturally (those stems were cleverly grafted onto the root stock/pancake nebari).

Sorry, but I strongly disagree. It (grafting) is a very basic and valuable skill and needn't = scarring.

It is a matter technique and time.
The question is ....

 

[GGB]

@0soyoung I know that it's valuable and shouldn't lead to scarring. All i'm saying is it scares me yet. I would never suggest someone not try it, and i can't wait to master it

 

[M. Frary]

The question is ...

Can Japanese white pine be grafted onto one of these things? If a killer trunk is found. I find some good looking trunks on a few EWP but never give the tree a second glance because of the foliage.

 

[0soyoung]

Can Japanese white pine be grafted onto one of these things? If a killer trunk is found. I find some good looking trunks on a few EWP but never give the tree a second glance because of the foliage.

I don't know, but there are all sorts of successful cross-species pine grafts and strobus is commonly used for a root stock.

I think you will have to try it Mike. You've got the trunks.
Had strobus been native to Japan, we likely would already know.

 

[Giga]

Can Japanese white pine be grafted onto one of these things? If a killer trunk is found. I find some good looking trunks on a few EWP but never give the tree a second glance because of the foliage.

I would think it could - My tree is actually one of my favorite tree's. I think if a large one could be found I think something nice could be made. I love there foliage so I doubt I would graft. I like to enjoy the species for what it is.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Every time I read the very good advice to remove the THICK branches, I always think, "what then?"
I envision long, bare stretches of trunk with no branches at all except for "hoped for" eruptions.

That's one of my main fears in bonsai.
the THICK BRANCH!

Trees should be genetically modified to produce branches where they LOOK good.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Grafting

I know Wayne Jupp has grafted JWP onto strobus understock. It can be done and the two species are very compatible.

 

[M. Frary]

I think you will have to try it Mike

I just have to remember where they are.
As soon as I see white pine looking for trees here I dismiss them.
Maybe I'll have to try.

 

[0soyoung]

Something was going on with it last year, but it seems to have responded positively to a NEEM root drench this spring. NEEM is rumored to be effective against root aphids.

I found nothing in the roots when I repotted it on 28Aug18, but this year's needles are 0.7 to 1 inch compared to last year's 2 inch long yellow ones (something to puzzle about while waiting for godot - mysteries are just never ending).

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Best strobus I have ever seen

 

[just.wing.it]

Awe man, this is awesome!

 

[0soyoung]

Best strobus I have ever seen

Awe man, this is awesome!

You both are very generous.
Thank you

 

[MHBonsai]

Great tree!

Have you considered compressing it some? (MS paint virtual....)

 

[0soyoung]

Have you considered compressing it some? (MS paint virtual....)

I have. I haven't ruled out the possibility.
When I sit with it and spin it around on a turn table, though, I still just "don't feel it". So I keep returning it to the back of the bench. Nevertheless, thank you for the nudge.

Meanwhile, I have fun with other stuff that is "talking to me" now, like this standard p. strobus ('Strobus Stick' as I call it). Life would be hell if 'minima' was all I had to play with .

Thanks again for the virt.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Interesting,
Remarkably dense foliage for a strobus. Nice small needles for a strobus. Clearly 'Minima' has some different traits than the run of the mill strobus.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I have. I haven't ruled out the possibility.
When I sit with it and spin it around on a turn table, though, I still just "don't feel it". So I keep returning it to the back of the bench. Nevertheless, thank you for the nudge.

Meanwhile, I have fun with other stuff that is "talking to me" now, like this standard p. strobus ('Strobus Stick' as I call it). View attachment 212030 Life would be hell if 'minima' was all I had to play with .

Thanks again for the virt.

How did you get your foliage to compact like that? My strobus keeps looking like a Popsicle that was dropped on a carpet and picked up again. Sure, there are needles, but not nicely clustered as in your example.

 

[0soyoung]

With 'minima' I do the standard bud selection routine ca. Mar/Apr - reduce to two buds. Then when the buds have pushed to the point that one can imagine/see needle scales (a very few weeks later), I knock off the entire single candle which should induce some fascicular buds. I wish I had figured this out before its branches got to be so long.

On the other two varieties of strobus that I have, I prune about half the length of the season's shoots ca. Oct/Nov. I usually wait until the season's needle drop is done because I sometimes want to prune back more aggressively. But even then I try to keep at least 5 rows of fascicles. Strobus will only bud from needle bases, hence the reason to wait until after needle drop. My 'minina' shoots are so short that I don't do this part with it. Nor do I do much 'candle pinching' in spring because the shoots are so short anyway.

 

[0soyoung]

I forgot to say clearly that when one knocks off the terminal buds, one also gets a new terminal bud or set of terminal buds.

Further, one can treat strobus like a JBP. One will get a shorter shoot with shorter needles. How much shorter depends upon the time with respect to the end of the growing season. I've not pursued this treatment fully on a standard strobus, just on selected branches. Timing will be everything if you want to give it a try, plus it will undoubtedly seriously weaken the vigor of the tree (reduced total leaf area/time).

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Here is a photo of one in the collection at the WNC Arboretum collection.