teach me, master

[It's Kev]

So, I'm new to the whole bonsai culture, so new that I purchased a Japanese White Pine and it arrived in this week. It came already wired which is great and all, but I want to thicken up the trunk a bit. To add more to the fun, I haven't got a yard to plant it in.

The way it arrived it seemed set up for a cascade type style, which I don't want so I bent it back up. It seemed like wiring was done just before it was shipped and that's why I restyled it.

I really like this little tree and I hope someone could give some suggestions to growing and styling it properly.

 

[sorce]

Many trees, look same!
Many pics....one tree!

Lol

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[leatherback]

lol.

Lesson one. First ask. Wait for an answer. Then do.

(Personally, I prefer the original styling. Besides that, moving branches about too much, can cause serious harm & branch die off in some cases).

Welcome anyway, and congrats for not buying a million-a-dozen bellyfig.

 

[It's Kev]

Many trees, look same!
Many pics....one tree!

Lol

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

I had trouble uploading the pics, working from my phone now

 

[It's Kev]

lol.

Lesson one. First ask. Wait for an answer. Then do.

(Personally, I prefer the original styling. Besides that, moving branches about too much, can cause serious harm & branch die off in some cases).

Welcome anyway, and congrats for not buying a million-a-dozen bellyfig.

I took some cuttings from the ficus trees that grow all over the school, then I bought me a JWP and a little Juniper online this week.
So, should I carefully bend this guy down again, or rather not?

 

[namnhi]

I took some cuttings from the ficus trees that grow all over the school, then I bought me a JWP and a little Juniper online this week.
So, should I carefully bend this guy down again, or rather not?

You have ficus growing all over.... That make me think your weather is warm. White pine won't do well there. JBP would have been a better choice. Don't do anything at this point. Try to keep it alive this year.

 

[Adair M]

No yard? It looks like you live in a apartment building. Is there an outside balcony? It needs to be outside. In the sun. An inside windowsill won't do.

 

[ysrgrathe]

Since you are new to this forum, you may not realize that you've been lucky enough to get pine experts giving you advice. The only advice I have is to listen to theirs.

 

[Paulpash]

You need more variety in your styling mate - each tree looks identical to the others Redefining 'cookie cutter' Just kidding but I prefer the semi cascade. One other thing is you have bar branching going on - prune out some so you get an alternate pattern with some back branches to give depth.

 

[It's Kev]

Will do, I'm in the south of China, no clue about hardiness zones. But I'll try my best

 

[It's Kev]

You need more variety in your styling mate - each tree looks identical to the others Redefining 'cookie cutter' Just kidding but I prefer the semi cascade. One other thing is you have bar branching going on - prune out some so you get an alternate pattern with some back branches to give depth.

I had some internet problems, it's only 1 tree uploaded a thousand times

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I had some internet problems, it's only 1 tree uploaded a thousand times

I deleted the extras

 

[Wilson]

Will do, I'm in the south of China, no clue about hardiness zones. But I'll try my best

I bet you could find some pretty amazing material if you head out around your area. Everything I have read or seen out of China is pretty stellar! Maybe you could even find someone who could teach you hands on.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Ok so here's some background info / advice on your JWP. JWP is a cold hardy five needle pine. It needs both direct sunlight and a cold winter dormant period in order to survive. It cannot be kept indoors, nor can it be kept outdoors in warm climates (like where I live in Southern California). Typically if where you live is warm enough that ficus can live outdoors 12 months of the year, it is too warm for Japanese white pine.

I'm not sure what else I can add other than there are a TON of other trees and plants that will work fine for your climate, and some few might even work if you need to keep them indoors (though the vast majority of bonsai material is best kept outside). As far as rebending the wire on your tree, it is best to style the tree once and leave it alone, but if you need to rebend something it probably won't have huge negative consequences as long as you only do it once.

 

[It's Kev]

Ok so here's some background info / advice on your JWP. JWP is a cold hardy five needle pine. It needs both direct sunlight and a cold winter dormant period in order to survive. It cannot be kept indoors, nor can it be kept outdoors in warm climates (like where I live in Southern California). Typically if where you live is warm enough that ficus can live outdoors 12 months of the year, it is too warm for Japanese white pine.

I'm not sure what else I can add other than there are a TON of other trees and plants that will work fine for your climate, and some few might even work if you need to keep them indoors (though the vast majority of bonsai material is best kept outside). As far as rebending the wire on your tree, it is best to style the tree once and leave it alone, but if you need to rebend something it probably won't have huge negative consequences as long as you only do it once.

I'll do what I can to make it work, I've got a north facing balcony as well, think I'll put him there for the winter to make sure he gets some cold, we don't get freezing temps here in winter, but it does drop close to freezing.

 

[discusmike]

If it were mine would just wire trunk for movement,if you don't want semi cascade it's not a issue cause it's a very young tree n needs years to grow a thick enough trunk to look realistic and you will need to pick new leaders to get taper in trunk which you can change the direction of trunk,for now just focus on keeping them alive,not a easy tree to start with,good luck

 

[Adair M]

Also, just so you know, JWP are very slow growing. Once it's put in a bonsai pot, it will hardly grow much. So, don't think it will get a fat trunk, or grow a lot taller, or develop a lot of new branches in a year or two. It won't. It's pretty much a "what you see is what you get".

A young JWP will look like a young JWP for a long, long time! The trunk will stay slim and not fatten up! That's why they're often grafted onto JBP stock. The JBP will fatten up quickly, and produce rough bark at a young age, so it looks old, and the tree will still have the JWP foliage that everyone loves.

Your tree appears to be a seedling, not a graft. So, expect it to remain looking pretty much as it does now.

 

[Potawatomi13]

View attachment 138014 View attachment 138015
So, I'm new to the whole bonsai culture, so new that I purchased a Japanese White Pine and it arrived in this week. It came already wired which is great and all, but I want to thicken up the trunk a bit. To add more to the fun, I haven't got a yard to plant it in.

The way it arrived it seemed set up for a cascade type style, which I don't want so I bent it back up. It seemed like wiring was done just before it was shipped and that's why I restyled it.

I really like this little tree and I hope someone could give some suggestions to growing and styling it properly.

Should have left original style.

 

[sorce]

Master me, Teacher!

Sorce

 

[It's Kev]

Also, just so you know, JWP are very slow growing. Once it's put in a bonsai pot, it will hardly grow much. So, don't think it will get a fat trunk, or grow a lot taller, or develop a lot of new branches in a year or two. It won't. It's pretty much a "what you see is what you get".

A young JWP will look like a young JWP for a long, long time! The trunk will stay slim and not fatten up! That's why they're often grafted onto JBP stock. The JBP will fatten up quickly, and produce rough bark at a young age, so it looks old, and the tree will still have the JWP foliage that everyone loves.

Your tree appears to be a seedling, not a graft. So, expect it to remain looking pretty much as it does now.

Thanks, my bonsai guy wanted to slam it into a tiny little tray, and I said I'd rather want a nursery pot so it can experience a bit of 'freedom' for a while. I think I'll be OK with waiting, I'm not so sure what the age groups are around here, I think it's time I learned some patience.