sfhellwig
Mame
I am hoping there are a few in the midwest that might be able to suggest one way or the other. I have been reading a Peter Adams book that outlines treatment for Scots pine. It looks pretty straight forward and anytime you have treatment guidelines on a specific plant, all the better. However we have pine wilt here and I'm not sure if it's worth trying this tree or not. Pine wilt is caused by a nematode, one of the few that's not in the soil. The nematodes reproduce and clog the water passages of the tree. It is vectored by the Sawyer bark beetle. In my Master Gardening course they say that nearly all of the Austrian pine in this area are gone and that you shouldn't plant Scots pine as it is the next choice of the beetle. My issue is: aren't bonsai typically less susceptible because of the environment/care they receive? The beetles are attracted to stressed trees that are in the open. Not saying my tree wouldn't be stressed from time to time and they would be as open as other pines but is it the same concern? The garden centers still sell these trees because uneducated people don't know and keep buying them but would this be a viable tree for me or a waste of time?