potential plants for bonsai???
- Thread starter darkwaterdevil
- Start date
Are those some type of white pine? The trunks look fairly thin. If you plan to dig them up, I would wait until spring - just when the candles start to push. I would try to get as much of the rootball as you can and transfer into very well draining soil, mostly inorganic.
Nybonsai12
Masterpiece
Do you know what species they are?
Unfortunately I don't really see anything to be made into bonsai with those two, but maybe some of the more experienced members can chime in.
Unfortunately I don't really see anything to be made into bonsai with those two, but maybe some of the more experienced members can chime in.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Not really. Too small straight and boring for specimen material. Might be good for learning how to successfully collect trees.
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
Not good specimen but better (years ahead) than starting from seeds!
Look around, you might find better candidates.You need to positively ID them also so you'll know better how to dig and proper after care later. Good luck!
darkwaterdevil
Yamadori
Not good specimen but better (years ahead) than starting from seeds!
You need to positively ID them also so you'll know better how to dig and proper after care later. Good luck!
whats not good about it? just the trunk size? not enough branches? could i graft more on from another?
Poink88
Imperial Masterpiece
Did you read rockm's comment? It is all there.
It is best that you study up on what makes a good bonsai first before you go out collecting (or buying) so you'll not waste your time and energy...also save some poor saplings from getting collected unnecessarily.
This might sound rough but we mean well. If you still want to collect those, as I said, they are years ahead than starting from seed...so go ahead. Good luck!
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Those little guys are too skinny and lanky to be of any potential for bonsai. It would take many many years for them to become good candidates if they ever do.
The look like eastern white pines. EWP are not good bonsai candidates nor a good choice for someone starting.
You would be better off getting a nice juniper next spring that you can actually work on and learn with.
The look like eastern white pines. EWP are not good bonsai candidates nor a good choice for someone starting.
You would be better off getting a nice juniper next spring that you can actually work on and learn with.
milehigh_7
Mister 500,000
Just for the sake of argument about EWP here some comments from Lindsay Farr on a recent FB discussion on Eastern White Pines:
Lindsay Farr I've grown these in pots for years. I've grafted Japanese white pine on them as well.
Saturday at 9:00pm
Lindsay Farr Here's an example http://vimeo.com/14082602
Saturday at 9:01pm
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
I'm guessing Lindsay Farr has many many years of experience.
Didn't say EWP had never been used nor that they couldn't be used, they just are not the best candidate for a beginner looking to do something rather than watch a skinny tree grow in a pot for years and years and years and get bored waiting for it to become anything that can be worked with. Those babies are still too small for thread grafting anything. Besides we all know that while he waits for those to become big enough to do something with, he will learn what better material is all about.
Why go through the effort to collect something that will most likely not be usable for many years if at all?
Didn't say EWP had never been used nor that they couldn't be used, they just are not the best candidate for a beginner looking to do something rather than watch a skinny tree grow in a pot for years and years and years and get bored waiting for it to become anything that can be worked with. Those babies are still too small for thread grafting anything. Besides we all know that while he waits for those to become big enough to do something with, he will learn what better material is all about.
Why go through the effort to collect something that will most likely not be usable for many years if at all?
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,661
- Reaction score
- 33,381
- USDA Zone
- 6a
They sure look like EWP...not the greatest material for reasons already stated, and unless you find a great trunk with ancient looking bark (I've never seen one) where grafting would be an option, the needles on EWP don't reduce and they tend to have long internodes= not good for bonsai.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Biggest issue with Eastern White Pine is they're mostly boring, from their shape, down to the texture of the bark (there usually isn't any).
There are some pretty good examples of EWP as bonsai with craggy bark and trunks with decent movement, BUT (and this is a huge BUT), they are the exception to the rule.
With these young trees, a decent bonsai is 50 years off...
Sometimes you have to ask "is the juice worth the squeeze?" With these trees, the answer is no...
There are some pretty good examples of EWP as bonsai with craggy bark and trunks with decent movement, BUT (and this is a huge BUT), they are the exception to the rule.
With these young trees, a decent bonsai is 50 years off...
Sometimes you have to ask "is the juice worth the squeeze?" With these trees, the answer is no...
Harunobu
Chumono
Try to find an open area with younger seedlings that grow in a much thinner layer of humus.
The first step to collecting is knowing how to grow a seedling into a bonsai. For pine this is very tricky.
You need to grow the sacrifice branches to fatten the trunk while you also grow, and keep strong and delicate the final branches.
Either you find a trunk that already has character as a bonsai, or you grow it from scratch, taking 20 years.
For the latter all that matters is lots of branches very near the roots. The more near the roots, and the closer to the roots, the better.
The ones you have there have very long internodes and low branches were never there or died off already. So like I said I had more luck finding stuff in areas that had very little shade and thin layer of humus. There I found seedlings with lots of branches and short internodes.
The trunks are too thin for bonsai. But that's superfluous. If the trunk it thick enough for bonsai the first branch starts 5x higher than the total final height of the tree. Thick trunks you can grow if you have the time. But once the trunk is thick enough, you are 20 years past making a bonsai. Unless in the extreme rare case nature made one for you. Even if a 6 inch thick trunk would magically backbud, that would still not really work. They grow too straight trunks with too little taper.
As for how suitable this species is, I have no clue. Best species are those that grow fast and strong and backbud well.
The first step to collecting is knowing how to grow a seedling into a bonsai. For pine this is very tricky.
You need to grow the sacrifice branches to fatten the trunk while you also grow, and keep strong and delicate the final branches.
Either you find a trunk that already has character as a bonsai, or you grow it from scratch, taking 20 years.
For the latter all that matters is lots of branches very near the roots. The more near the roots, and the closer to the roots, the better.
The ones you have there have very long internodes and low branches were never there or died off already. So like I said I had more luck finding stuff in areas that had very little shade and thin layer of humus. There I found seedlings with lots of branches and short internodes.
The trunks are too thin for bonsai. But that's superfluous. If the trunk it thick enough for bonsai the first branch starts 5x higher than the total final height of the tree. Thick trunks you can grow if you have the time. But once the trunk is thick enough, you are 20 years past making a bonsai. Unless in the extreme rare case nature made one for you. Even if a 6 inch thick trunk would magically backbud, that would still not really work. They grow too straight trunks with too little taper.
As for how suitable this species is, I have no clue. Best species are those that grow fast and strong and backbud well.
If I was shopping on trash day, in southern New England, I might look for upland or lowland blueberry, azalea, quince, crab apple, or boxwood.
They get dug up during remodel(s). Once dug are usually gratis for the asking.
They get dug up during remodel(s). Once dug are usually gratis for the asking.
