Pine work timeline?

[Q-Bonsai]

This thread probably exists somewhere but I can't find it.

What is the timeline for work on pines? I understand repotting and wiring happens in December, old needle pulling in October, etc, (for Houston temperate zone). To focus in a bit more, I am referring to JBP; Red and white don't do well here in Houston.

I have worked extensively with deciduous and tropicals but have left pines out of my field of work. Of course, bonsai work is not complete without experience with pines.

Can someone tell me the timeline to work on pines? What time of year correlates to what work is done to it?

Thanks!

 

[bougie nights]

Study the threads started by Brian Van Fleet.

 

[mcpesq817]

Buy the Boon DVDs on JBPs - well worth every penny.

 

[jeanluc83]

Ryan Neil’s lecture on pines is good. Search youtube for Ryan Neil and you should find it.

 

[Dav4]

Your regional climate dictates when you do seasonal things like re-potting, needle thinning and decandling. Your best bet would be to contact someone in the greater Houston area who grows JBP and get their input. There is a member here, Thomas J., http://bonsainut.com/forums/member.php?399-Thomas-J who grows great shohin JBP...but he is in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so I'm not sure how applicable his experience would be for someone living in Houston.

 

[FoldedFrog]

I live in central Georgia and I never repot in the winter. Wiring and needle plucking in the fall, and hard pruning in winter to reduce bleeding. The best time for repotting JBP AND JWP is spring, just before the buds swell. Late summer or early fall is an option for black pines but not white pines. I, myself, stopped repotting any pines in the fall. Killed a couple like that.

 

[Q-Bonsai]

I live in central Georgia and I never repot in the winter. Wiring and needle plucking in the fall, and hard pruning in winter to reduce bleeding. The best time for repotting JBP AND JWP is spring, just before the buds swell. Late summer or early fall is an option for black pines but not white pines. I, myself, stopped repotting any pines in the fall. Killed a couple like that.

I keep hearing that wiring at repotting happens at the same time (once temps stay below 50). The reason for my reluctance to working with pines is the large discrepancies of when to work on them. With deciduous and tropicals, people tend to more or less agree on what to do; Plus, the cost for deciduous and tropicals allow for a lot of experimentation. The price point for pines.... not so much....

 

[yenling83]

This thread probably exists somewhere but I can't find it.

What is the timeline for work on pines? I understand repotting and wiring happens in December, old needle pulling in October, etc, (for Houston temperate zone). To focus in a bit more, I am referring to JBP; Red and white don't do well here in Houston.

I have worked extensively with deciduous and tropicals but have left pines out of my field of work. Of course, bonsai work is not complete without experience with pines.

Can someone tell me the timeline to work on pines? What time of year correlates to what work is done to it?

Thanks!

Yes, if you are really interested in JBP Boon's DVD's are the way to go. They cover the timeline for Black Pine work. Boon's apprenticship was from one of the top Black Pine guys in Japan.

I'm not sure exactly with your climate, but usually de candling is done in June or July depending on the size of the tree,(Big trees are done first so their new needles have more time to grow, shohin should be done last) and climate. Some pull needles during de-candling to further balance the energy of the tree.

Re pot is usually done in late winter, early spring. I know of people in the Bay area that repot in Dec, but I would think this might be just a bit too early(I could be wrong).

 

[FoldedFrog]

I really like the Masters' Series "PINES" book. It has the full, year round schedule with detail plus a lot more from various bonsai masters in Japan.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I am working on an exciting new project to update and replace that PDF. I hope to have it finished and ready around the holidays. Thanks for the inquiries.

In the meantime, much of the information you're looking for is available through Boon and Ryan Neil videos...can't go wrong following those guys.

A couple links to my seasonal work here are:

Needle thinning and bud selection:
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/needle-thinning-for-japanese-black-pines/

Summer:
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?8158-Summer-Candle-Pruning-for-2-needle-pines
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2013/07/22/candle-cutting-complete/

Fall:
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/fall-work-on-a-black-pine/
http://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/fall-work-on-a-black-pine-continued/

 

[Lazylightningny]

Study the threads started by Brian Van Fleet.

Brian is very knowledgable on jbp. Hes an excellent resourse. Ive learned a lot from him.

 

[Q-Bonsai]

The work done on trees especially on pines is completely timing dependent. Wouldn't the DVDs/books be a bit too broad?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

The work done on trees especially on pines is completely timing dependent. Wouldn't the DVDs/books be a bit too broad?

Not if they say when to do what!

 

[Paradox]

Q, If its Japanese black pine you are interested in, look at what Brian has posted. He is very knowledgeable and experienced with them among other species.

Bonsai work is done according to season (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). The only thing that changes is what month you do things in according to the seasonal schedule where you live and the species you are dealing with.

Asking what seasons to do work on pines isnt a simple, generalized answer. You really need to know what species you are dealing with because it is species dependent. Japanese black pines, and Japanese white pines are different than Scots and mugo pines and Ponderosa Pines.

Ive never heard of or read that pines should be repotted in December unless December is spring where the pine is. Most of the time its spring or summer depending on the species

The other thing about pines, is that is is very easy to overdo work on a pine and kill it. This is true of pretty much any pine, although some are more forgiving than others. The general rule is that you limit the tree to one major insult per year.
Repotting is considered an insult, heavy pruning is an insult. There are some things you can do in one year such as wiring and pinching as those are not as stressful by themselves. I probably wouldnt repot, do heavy pruning, pinch and wire all in the same year.

Sorry but your opinion that there no right and wrong in bonsai is incorrect with regard to keeping trees alive. You do too much at any time or certain things at the wrong time = dead tree.
I urge you to do some research and learning in books, bonsai forums, local club before you dive into working on pines. You will save yourself some headaches later on.