Pinus Strobus-Don't hate
- Thread starter Giga
- Start date
GGB
Masterpiece
Damn! that's the single biggest reason I colected mine. The needles are about 2.5" long and the branching had potential. I cant imagine giving it worse soil than the dusty clay I chiseled it out of
Guy Vitale
Shohin
Not saying it's not doable, but using standard pine techniques, I don't see why needle length can't be reduced on these. I'm still in the growing out phase, trunk thickening, branch development etc, so I don't know if the needles reduce well or not. Once it gets to that point, I plan to use JWP method to reduce needle length. Limit fertilizer until the needles harden off, pinch back candles hard, reduce number of needles in stronger areas, etc. But at this point it makes no sence to reduce needle length since I still need all the strength of the tree I can get. One method I'm playing around with is keeping 2-3 buds at each point, pinching them back to short, medium, long, this way I can develop the trunk better and have options later on for better branch structure. There is a reason you don't see these regularly as bonsai, but for me personally and the history of my tree it'll be fun to figure out.
GGB
Masterpiece
@Guy Vitale I haven't completely given up hope, since I ABSOLUTELY need a native pine in my collection, I purchased a big P. rigida as a fall back haha. I have a feeling someone will start cracking this species open but it seems like it'll never be a "best option". I estimate my tree to be around 15 to 20 years old and the bark is as smooth as if it sprouted yesterday
Guy Vitale
Shohin
Yes, yet another major drawback to this spiecies, that's why grafting onto it is pointless. The trunk on mine is actually showing some decent maturaty, but where it transitions to the new leader it has not started blending in yet. I have two low branches that I may remove at some point, but I am maintaining them to thicken the trunk faster, thus blending the new leader more quickly. The trunk chop was pretty large, I'm actually surprised it survived, but it hasn't completely healed over either, I expect better progress once that completely scars over. It's a long game at this point, I'm in my early 40's, God willing I'll have a number of decades left to work on it, it's a passion project, the value is for myself not others and if I'm going to work on it, I might as well commit to doing it the best I can. By far not my only tree, so I can get quicker satisfactory results from those.
Jurriemr2
Sapling
Here is my P. Strobus
I got iT from a men that died. Hè had This tree for 30 jears. IT was ill when I got iT. Tomorrow I Will take a good picture from the bark. IT looks really Nice(the bark).
Attachments
Guy Vitale
Shohin
Jurriemr, my pinus strobus get the same white cottony pest as well, not sure if it's mealy bugs or what, but it's very easily treatable with a couple applications of insecticidle soap, it's never harmed mine, but it's unsightly and should not be allowed to get out of control. This looks like very nice material, get it healthy and start managing the new candles when they develop, as the needles start to emerge from the candle, pinch off about 2/3s from the strongest candles, less from the smaller candles. Good luck, this tree has a nice mature trunk.
Jurriemr2
Sapling
The pest is already gone. The picture is last years. I will post a picture tomorow. Thnx fore the tip. I already pinched the needles last year. And the buds are starting to swell.
Guy Vitale
Shohin
Glad to hear the tree is doing well.
To be clear, thin the previous years needles and pinch the new candles. You don't pinch needles. I look forward to seeing the progress.
Jurriemr2
Sapling
I understand. This is exactley how i do iT. But I'm from the netherlands. And the language is somthimes confusing. Thnx for telling me.
Guy Vitale
Shohin
That's what I had figured, but did not want to assume, glad to hear it.
Nice trunk Jur. It is indeed beginning to show mature bark. This makes the tree about 40 to 50 years old!
Your tree also illustrates one of the major problems:
Long lanky branches, with little to no foliage near the trunk. And, the limbs are slow to "set" curves, so the temptation is to leave the wire on for a long time. But when it cuts in, it can lead to nasty wire scars, and swelling. And, it is even less likely to back bud than JWP.
Alas... many problems!
@GGB: people have been saying they're just waiting for someone to figure out how to make EWP into good bonsai for as long as I've been doing bonsai! I started doing bonsai around 1970. I figure that if it hasn't happened by now, it's not happening!
Jurriemr2
Sapling
All true adair.
Thise is also my experience.
I'm trying to make a literati out of it. And I take all the bad behavior of the tree fore granted. Thise tree is a real fighter. Any other pine thate was treated like Thise pine the last 10 years would have Died. The wom of the last owner kept Thise tree after hè died. She Did not do anything about iT. The wire was completley grown in. And iT was sick. She gave the tree to mee because she saw iT getting worse And worse. Here are the pictures I promisd.
Jurriemr2
Sapling
GGB
Masterpiece
@Adair M you win, it's sitting in my compost pile. Since you are the pine guy, I have to ask, have you ever come across a Pinus pungens (table mountain pine) in bonsai? I need at least one native species! I know you are in georgia but I'm sure you've seen your share of trees online and in person
Oh no! Did it die? If it's still alive, it might make a good garden tree!
I'm not familiar with Pines Pungens. Sorry.
Good native species: Ponderosa (if you live where the needles will shorten), Shore Pine, pinion Pine, Lodgepole, Virginia (they don't "trunk up" like other Pines, but make good literati. You can decandle them like JBP and JRP). Some people like Southwest White Pine (I'm not familiar with it). Boon has a Monterrey Pine. I'm sure there's others.
GGB
Masterpiece
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
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What about pitch pine, P. rigida? They grow naturally all over the northeast and they've proven to be very reasonable bonsai subjects. Shoot, they're probably the best native pine for bonsai east of the Rockies.
Giga
Masterpiece
This I have one and there epic for bonsai, though hard to find in my area
