Pinus Aristata 'Horstmann'

MaxTheSpy

Yamadori
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Hey everyone, I've purchased a smallish tree: Pinus Aristata 'Horstmann' The only thing is I m not quite sure how to make it look better. Right now it just looks like a scraggle tree. What are some suggestions to make it look more like a bonsai ?


20170412_133557.jpg

I usually am pretty good about shaping these though Pines are something that I never worked with.
 

aframe

Shohin
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Hey Bud,
Throw it in the ground or a grow box for 5 years or so; P. aristata can be very slow growing, perhaps more so that it's a cultivar.
It has a high graft, with an awkward scar...not sure this will ever satisfy you as a bonsai. If the trunk thickens well it could hide the scar and the reverse taper/knuckle at the graft union.
If you want some quality pine stalk from seed you can PM me: I have these Japanese Black Pines that are about 3-4 years old now. They are vigorously growing in colanders and have spreading fibrous roots; great starts for great bonsai.
 

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MaxTheSpy

Yamadori
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Hey Bud,
Throw it in the ground or a grow box for 5 years or so; P. aristata can be very slow growing, perhaps more so that it's a cultivar.
It has a high graft, with an awkward scar...not sure this will ever satisfy you as a bonsai. If the trunk thickens well it could hide the scar and the reverse taper/knuckle at the graft union.
If you want some quality pine stalk from seed you can PM me: I have these Japanese Black Pines that are about 3-4 years old now. They are vigorously growing in colanders and have spreading fibrous roots; great starts for great bonsai.

I think Ill let it grow a bit and see what happens. Thanks
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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trunk thickens

Seems the trunk is thickening faster on top.

Too many "ifs" crawling nursery floors for grafted material.
Regular nursery material is already 1 in 200.....hunting for a decent graft that you can read the future on is closer to 1 in probly 4 thousand.

Best to avoid grafted material all together IMO.

You can find 3 or 4 better, nongrafted trees in the same time....and usually for cheaper.

MaxthePotential!

Sorce
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
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The name tag shows the wholesale propagator is Isle, they are pretty good at picking cultivars that will grow, maybe not fast, but this clone is probably more disease resistant at low elevation than most seedlings. This one will at least have a chance at surviving long term at low elevation.

To improve the graft union, you need to plan to have the trunk double in diameter. As trunk diameter increases, the graft should heal, hopefully becoming less noticeable. This means letting it grow, as others have said, a decade or so.

While it is growing out, you need to keep the branches in the first 2 whorls compact with needles, and their associated needle buds for future branches, alive. Prune or wire higher branches so that they do not shade out the first couple whorls of branches.

Eventually one of the branches in the first whorl will likely be the whole finished tree, you can actually do much of the wiring to shape of the tree while the top is thickening the trunk.
 
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