Virginia pines

[Toraidento]

So I'm kinda wondering if Virginia pines make good bonsai material. I park my truck across the street from my house in a parking lot for the Pooler city park and I seen this broken pine taken off for a new life. So it made me wonder if the local Virginia Pines make good bonsia material. Anyone every use em I know needles are long just wondering if the reduced. Looks like from this broke off one here u could grow the trunk, chop it and let it take off again. Anyone have any thoughts

 

[0soyoung]

May be good since it is local.
I've seen it stated many times that they can be treated as a JBP and will respond with shorter needles just like JBP.

 

[Giga]

if this is pinus virginiana, then yes they make fantastic bonsai. Same group of care like Japanese black pine

 

[rockm]

I don't think that's a Virginia pine (and In my experience that species is not all that easy to collect because of dispersed root systems). This tree has apparently pushed new growth from old bare wood below a break. That is HIGHLY unusual behavior for a pine, other than a pitch pine (Pinus rigida). The needles don't look like Virginia pine to me anyway...

 

[Adair M]

Virginia Pine can make good bonsai. It’s easy to reduce needle length, just treat them like JBP. You can decandle them. The needles twist, however, which always gives a scraggly look. They don’t build trunk very quickly. So, usually, they’re used for literati. Tall and slender trunks. The foliage is also usually a lighter shade of green.

 

[Giga]

I don't think that's a Virginia pine (and In my experience that species is not all that easy to collect because of dispersed root systems). This tree has apparently pushed new growth from old bare wood below a break. That is HIGHLY unusual behavior for a pine, other than a pitch pine (Pinus rigida). The needles don't look like Virginia pine to me anyway...

actually a few pines will do this, I tried to get rid of a loblolly pine in my yard a couple years back and it push growth just like this

 

[Vance Wood]

I agree with Giga I think you are looking at Pitch Pine.

 

[jeanluc83]

I'm not so sure about pitch pine. Savannah is south of the southern range of pitch pine shown on most maps.

Count the needles. If they are in threes it could be pitch pine. If they are in pairs and twist it is likely Virginia pine. If they are pairs but don't twist it is probably some other pine.

 

[rockm]

I spoke too soon probably about this being a pitch pine. Didn't realize he was south. Don't think it is Virginia pine. Needles and bark are a bit off for that species. Might be wrong though...I would tend to agree that it is more likely loblolly. I have also seen loblolly produce new growth from old wood

 

[Eric Group]

Yes, Virginia Pine can be made into Bonsai... John G here in SC has a few, I have a couple but they are very “pre” Bonsai at this point...

I also doubt that is Virginia and certain it is not Pitch Pine... Loblolly is unlikely as the needles are just too short... maybe... Shortleaf Pine? (Echinata). Or some bastard hybridization of Echinata and Taeda... those dirty horny trees...

 

[Vance Wood]

Yes, Virginia Pine can be made into Bonsai... John G here in SC has a few, I have a couple but they are very “pre” Bonsai at this point...

I also doubt that is Virginia and certain it is not Pitch Pine... Loblolly is unlikely as the needles are just too short... maybe... Shortleaf Pine? (Echinata). Or some bastard hybridization of Echinata and Taeda... those dirty horny trees...

You realize the Echinata is actually a sub species of Scots Pine, and Scots Pine is also a likely candidate. Look at the bark. This looks very Scots like.

 

[coachspinks]

It really looks like a shortleaf pine.

 

[rockm]

Don't think Echinata is a subspecies of Scots Pine, as that species is exclusively native to Europe.

It is a separate species altogether. I think it is more closely related to loblolly pine and pitch pine can hybridize with both where their ranges intersect. It is one of the "Southern Yellow Pines"--Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata), Slash Pine (Pinus ellioti), Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris), and Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda).
https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/256spine.pdf

 

[Giga]

whatever it is, the main problem is finding something that is worth collecting. Most of these tree's in this type of environment are bean pole straight and have a difficult roots system to collect. I was lucky enough to find a pitch pine in a pocket of dead leaves that was came up with it's entire root system, but these with the crazy expansive root system are hard to collect.

 

[rockm]

I'd agree. I've had similar experiences with finding good roots on Virginia pine. They tend to grow in very poor soil and can have roots that sprawl 5 yards from the trunk before feeders. I have a feeling this tree would be a huge pain to get out of the ground and survive.

 

[Eric Group]

You realize the Echinata is actually a sub species of Scots Pine, and Scots Pine is also a likely candidate. Look at the bark. This looks very Scots like.

I do think the foliage looks a lot like Scott’s too actually! I don’t know if short leaf and Scott’s are related or not but this does resemble a Scott’s some Vance

 

[rockm]

I do think the foliage looks a lot like Scott’s too actually! I don’t know if short leaf and Scott’s are related or not but this does resemble a Scott’s some Vance

I think it looks like pine bark...Use Occam's razor here (I'm a Big Bang fan). Which is more likely to be found in a ditch in Georgia--a mature Scots pine, or one of the southern yellow pines?

the bark also resembles longleaf bark

 

[Vance Wood]

I think it looks like pine bark...Use Occam's razor here (I'm a Big Bang fan). Which is more likely to be found in a ditch in Georgia--a mature Scots pine, or one of the southern yellow pines?

the bark also resembles longleaf bark
View attachment 175066

Southern Yellow Pine has pretty long needles. The stump in the original photo looks to be exfoliating with a kind of cinnamon under layer. Scotts have been planted for a variety of reasons accros the country. We have quite a few of them here in Michigan planted for wild life habitat now become feral.

 

[GGB]

It's either virginia or shortleaf. I don't know anything about echinata so I can't rule it out. But I can tell you that virginia pine will sprout growth from hard chops on barked up trunk/branches. The problem is the new growth tends to die after a year. The bark looks like the virginia in my area but it's not a definitive way to ID it. Also, vriginia needles are typically pretty short, and I think John G mentioned just being in a container makes them shorter.

 

[TN_Jim]

Virginia and shorleaf can be easily mistaken for one another as the needles and bark are kinda variable.

I’m guessing there are larger trees of the same species within the vicinity. The best ID of these species is by the tooth (or “prickle”-see photo) at the end of the cone bracts, and needle length and degree of twist.