What are these "buds" on my Japanese White Pine?

[Adamantium]

Pinecones? Next year's candles? Pollen pods?

I'm brand new to pines. Sorry if this is a dumb question.

 

[petegreg]

Right, buds set for next spring.

 

[LanceMac10]

Next years buds. RIP imported JWP.....we had a good run, until I killed you!

New to Pines? JWP not the best to learn on...

 

[Nybonsai12]

As stated, they are next years buds. Gotta pic of the whole tree?

 

[Adamantium]

As stated, they are next years buds. Gotta pic of the whole tree?

I can get one, but it's got a REALLY bad graft. I still love it for what it is, though. Give me a few.

 

[Adamantium]

Here you go ^^

 

[Adamantium]

Next years buds. RIP imported JWP.....we had a good run, until I killed you!

New to Pines? JWP not the best to learn on...

Wuh oh. How'd you kill yours? Can only avoid killing it by learning what not to do.

 

[Adair M]

September is a good time to wire JWP.

 

[Adair M]

It looks like there are tall buildings all around. Will it get any sun? Pines need sun.

 

[Adamantium]

It looks like there are tall buildings all around. Will it get any sun? Pines need sun.

There are, indeed. We’re in Manhattan. Upper East Side. It gets a solid 5+ hours of direct sunlight from 10-3, and indirect sunlight the whole day.

I’ve had it for going on 5 months now. Old growth is yellowing from stress last year, but new growth seems pretty robust, as best I can tell. And getting new buds like this seems like a good sign, no?

 

[Nybonsai12]

It really wants full sun all day long. New buds are a good sign but for long term health you want full sun.

 

[Adair M]

There are, indeed. We’re in Manhattan. Upper East Side. It gets a solid 5+ hours of direct sunlight from 10-3, and indirect sunlight the whole day.

I’ve had it for going on 5 months now. Old growth is yellowing from stress last year, but new growth seems pretty robust, as best I can tell. And getting new buds like this seems like a good sign, no?

Old growth yellows, then turns tan, then falls off every year.

I am concerned that it’s not going to get enough sunlight to thrive. When the amount of sun is low, the tree actually grows longer stems to try to “reach out” to find it. And longer needles to capture as much energy as possible.

You see, this tree doesn’t know it’s growing in Manhattan, and the shade it’s getting is caused by buildings. It “thinks” it’s growing in a forest, and momma tree dropped her seed, and he’s one of them, so he’s trying to find the sunlight momma must have found to be able to thrive and make pine cones! So it stretches out, making weak, long branches in the vain hope that it will find more sun, and it will be able to bulk up when it does!

But sadly, it ain’t gonna happen.

I think you would do better by choosing a species of tree that has evolved to be an “understory” tree. One that is happy to get an equal mix of sun and shade. I’m thinking Japanese Maple might be a better choice.

I’m sorry to be such a Debbie Downer, but this type of lesson is part of the key to success in bonsai. Grow the kinds of trees that will thrive in your environment. For example, I live on top of a hill, which used to be a cow pasture. I have full sun. 24 hours a day! Lol!!! Pines and junipers do great! Maples, not so much. Too much sun for them!

 

[MichaelS]

Contrary to popular belief, they are not next years buds, they are this years buds. I know that coz I can see them this year!

 

[Adamantium]

Old growth yellows, then turns tan, then falls off every year.

This actually looks like last year’s growth, though. Isn’t it supposed to be at least 2 years before it falls off?

And I really love, and appreciate, the detail, and metaphor. Its new buds don’t look too elongated, or etiolated, though. They’re the same length as last year’s. Is there even a slim chance that it may work? Maybe just for a year, or two, before I can move? The sunlight it’s getting is the peak of the day, 10-3. I don’t know if that makes things better, or worse, though...

 

[Dav4]

Your tree will survive for two years given it's current sun exposure, which isn't horrible but not ideal, either. Ideally, 6 hours of direct sunlight is the minimum for pines and junipers to grow well. Fwiw, my pines and junipers only get 4-6 hours mid day sun down here in GA, but the sun is more intense... and I'd love to give them more.

 

[Adamantium]

Your tree will survive for two years given it's current sun exposure, which isn't horrible but not ideal, either. Ideally, 6 hours of direct sunlight is the minimum for pines and junipers to grow well. Fwiw, my pines and junipers only get 4-6 hours mid day sun down here in GA, but the sun is more intense... and I'd love to give them more.

That's a relief. Here's hoping she makes it through the winter, now!

It was in rough shape when I got it, and old needles continue to slowly decline, yellowing from the tip down. Fingers crossed it's just losing old needles, but it looks more like overwatering/needlecast. I've been spraying weekly with Daconil (thus all the white residue), and new growth looks pretty good, so hopefully it's on the up and up.

 

[Adair M]

This actually looks like last year’s growth, though. Isn’t it supposed to be at least 2 years before it falls off?

And I really love, and appreciate, the detail, and metaphor. Its new buds don’t look too elongated, or etiolated, though. They’re the same length as last year’s. Is there even a slim chance that it may work? Maybe just for a year, or two, before I can move? The sunlight it’s getting is the peak of the day, 10-3. I don’t know if that makes things better, or worse, though...

Some pines hold on to their needles longer than others. You have a grafted JWP. It was grafted with a dwarf form of JWP, the kind that makes nicetufts of needles. They have different characteristics than seedlings. Old needles rarely stay more than a year. I have one that only keeps them a year, in fact, I have several that do this. I just this week spent some time tweezering old yellowing needles out of the canopy of several of my JWP. They will start to yellow about when the new growth hardens off.

A couple of my other JWP, grafted with a different cultivar wait until winter begins to start to sluff off old needles.

Here’s the thing: each tree is different! Careful observation is required to determine each tree’s needs.

One more “thing”: needles are both an energy source and an energy drain for the tree. If the tree “perceives” that it costs I more energy to sustain foliage than it is getting from photosynthesis, it will stop feeding it. That’s what happens to old foliage that gets shaded out by new foliage.

You might not notice that your tree is starved for sun. But it is. It’s very “leggy”. The twigs are relatively long, long internodes, long needles, long spaces between each bundle of needles. It’s searching for the light.

Compare your tree to my grafted JWP that sits in full sun each day:

 

[coh]

Some pines hold on to their needles longer than others. You have a grafted JWP. It was grafted with a dwarf form of JWP, the kind that makes nicetufts of needles. They have different characteristics than seedlings. Old needles rarely stay more than a year. I have one that only keeps them a year, in fact, I have several that do this. I just this week spent some time tweezering old yellowing needles out of the canopy of several of my JWP. They will start to yellow about when the new growth hardens off.

A couple of my other JWP, grafted with a different cultivar wait until winter begins to start to sluff off old needles.

Here’s the thing: each tree is different! Careful observation is required to determine each tree’s needs.

One more “thing”: needles are both an energy source and an energy drain for the tree. If the tree “perceives” that it costs I more energy to sustain foliage than it is getting from photosynthesis, it will stop feeding it. That’s what happens to old foliage that gets shaded out by new foliage.

You might not notice that your tree is starved for sun. But it is. It’s very “leggy”. The twigs are relatively long, long internodes, long needles, long spaces between each bundle of needles. It’s searching for the light.

Compare your tree to my grafted JWP that sits in full sun each day:

View attachment 203491

Sweet tree! Love the needle color.

 

[Adamantium]

Some pines hold on to their needles longer than others. You have a grafted JWP. It was grafted with a dwarf form of JWP, the kind that makes nicetufts of needles. They have different characteristics than seedlings. Old needles rarely stay more than a year. I have one that only keeps them a year, in fact, I have several that do this. I just this week spent some time tweezering old yellowing needles out of the canopy of several of my JWP. They will start to yellow about when the new growth hardens off.

A couple of my other JWP, grafted with a different cultivar wait until winter begins to start to sluff off old needles.

Here’s the thing: each tree is different! Careful observation is required to determine each tree’s needs.

One more “thing”: needles are both an energy source and an energy drain for the tree. If the tree “perceives” that it costs I more energy to sustain foliage than it is getting from photosynthesis, it will stop feeding it. That’s what happens to old foliage that gets shaded out by new foliage.

You might not notice that your tree is starved for sun. But it is. It’s very “leggy”. The twigs are relatively long, long internodes, long needles, long spaces between each bundle of needles. It’s searching for the light.

Compare your tree to my grafted JWP that sits in full sun each day:

View attachment 203491

Really nice little tree! Everything you mention about internodes/reaching for sun, etc., is actually growth from before I owned the tree. It was supposedly in full sun. I only got it around March/April.

What kind of signs can I look for to identify lack of sunlight, now that the new growth has hardened off?

PS: Do you think there's any hope for that crappy graft? Waiting 20 years, or is it forever doomed?

 

[Adair M]

There’s really not much you can do in the short term about that graft. All these trees have “crappy grafts”. It’s just the nature of the beast. Mine is no better than yours. Except, I’ve been able to arrange the foliage to somewhat hide the actual graft union so that it’s not so apparant.

Your tree in unstyled. Perhaps once you style it, it will give the eye something else to focus on.

And...

Perhaps next time be a little more choosy when buying material?

It’s one thing to acquire rough stock. It’s quite another to buy stock with obvious, impossible-to-fix flaws.