edprocoat
Masterpiece
I have only tried pines twice, one was a Fl. pine, large needles. I found it off a back road where it had been mowed many time. It was about 4 inches high and a five inch thick trunk and six long thin shoots growing up from it with those long needles. I tried pinching off the needles and they grew back just as big. I lost it a year later, I feel I watered it too much as the roots were actually spongy, it seemed to do good at first, watering it each day and weekly using a spray with Peters liquid plant food and misting the needles, but then it turned brown and died in about a months time, during which I stepped up water and fertilized it more hoping to keep it alive.
I then bought a mini christmas tree at wal-mart which was vibrant and healthy and had great small needles, they even grew up the trunk. I removed those and put in a larger pot hoping to get some root growth. It was potted in a soil that had a good bit of small pine bark nuggets through it. I broke up some pine nuggets that I bought from lowes and mixed it with potting soil and fertilized it and left it alone for 16 months during which time it hardly grew but looked healthy and grew more needles on the trunk again. It never really took off, although it never did poorly either, that is until I took it out of the pot in late june and seen it had not shown much root growth, there were a few fine roots coming from the original undisturbed root ball but that was it. I repotted it back in the existing soil and watered it and it slowly turned yellow then brown and died.
I have never attempted pine again, although I love each one I see, its just I hate to kill a plant. Is there a good pine thats easier to grow and train. Another thing I have never seen any Japanese pine anywhere I look, I guess I could buy one online but I would rather see the plant and look at it to see if i would like it. Most the pines I see in a nursery are not japanese and are too tall for my tastes and as I travel to Fl.in the winter months I take my Bonsai with me. I wonder if that has anything to do with my pine luck?
ed
I then bought a mini christmas tree at wal-mart which was vibrant and healthy and had great small needles, they even grew up the trunk. I removed those and put in a larger pot hoping to get some root growth. It was potted in a soil that had a good bit of small pine bark nuggets through it. I broke up some pine nuggets that I bought from lowes and mixed it with potting soil and fertilized it and left it alone for 16 months during which time it hardly grew but looked healthy and grew more needles on the trunk again. It never really took off, although it never did poorly either, that is until I took it out of the pot in late june and seen it had not shown much root growth, there were a few fine roots coming from the original undisturbed root ball but that was it. I repotted it back in the existing soil and watered it and it slowly turned yellow then brown and died.
I have never attempted pine again, although I love each one I see, its just I hate to kill a plant. Is there a good pine thats easier to grow and train. Another thing I have never seen any Japanese pine anywhere I look, I guess I could buy one online but I would rather see the plant and look at it to see if i would like it. Most the pines I see in a nursery are not japanese and are too tall for my tastes and as I travel to Fl.in the winter months I take my Bonsai with me. I wonder if that has anything to do with my pine luck?
ed
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