When and how to trim Pine tree ?

Ali Raza

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Hello to everyone. I have collected some pine trees from the wild. They are around 8 feet in height and i want to train them as a large bonsai with maximum height of 4 feet. Kindly help me how to prune and when to prune the pine tree. What would be the best strategy for trimming and pruning, how much should i cut the top of crown. Suggestions will be appreciated.
 

eryk2kartman

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If you have photos that would be great, hard to say anything wihtout seeing the tree
 

Potawatomi13

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Ali; Financially possible to subscribe to Mirai Live? Many excellent training videos already archived there;). Not sure some maybe free. Many contradictions to be found this siteo_O.
 

Vance Wood

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Without photos we are making noise in a darkened room. Pines are a go-to type of tree, you can't just cut one any old place and expect good things to happen.
 

Mellow Mullet

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Bonsai Nut

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It really depends on what kind of pine you have. Different pines require different care. The links Brian posted are for Japanese black pines, or strong "two-flush" pines that will push two flushes of growth per year. You would not use the same approach on a different, slower growing species like Japanese white pine.

If you don't know the species, share photos of not only the entire tree, but a closeup of the needles and where the needles attach to the branch. Maybe we can identify it.
 

bwaynef

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I'd caution that if these are recently collected, it might be better to leave them alone and let them get established and reacquire vigor. That'll give you time to get some pictures to post.
 

Giga

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Sounds like your super new and pines are very ez once you know how they grow per species. Read read and more reading. Then join Ryan Neil's site and watch everything. Then post lots of pictures here and we will help you figure out these trees
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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If it's aleppo pine - treat like a JBP unless other experts tell you differently.
If it's Chilgoza / Gerardiana - Treat like scots pine
If it's Chir pine / Roxburghi - Treat like scots pine
If it's blue pine / Wallichiana - Treat like Strobus

I got this information from my barber from Pakistan this afternoon. He's a gardener in his free time. But I'm not sure if he is very skilled or very knowledgeable at gardening. So don't take my word for it. He came up with the names of these pines from the top of his head and I had to look them up, so I figure he knows more than I do. He mentioned two other species that I don't remember.
 

Vance Wood

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Without photos we are making noise in a darkened room. Pines are a go-to type of tree, you can't just cut one any old place and expect good things to happen.
Why bother with a reply??
 

It's Kev

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Why bother with a reply??
Because you’re all good people and this post will live here for future generations, also, people like me who still know nothing about pines can benefit too.

Oh, and I found a neat little chart/calendar of what to do with your pines and when, which for the life of me I can’t find. Or is it just shit and I should stick to the big thread that @Bonsai Nut made about decandling?
 

0soyoung

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If it's aleppo pine - treat like a JBP unless other experts tell you differently.
If it's Chilgoza / Gerardiana - Treat like scots pine
If it's Chir pine / Roxburghi - Treat like scots pine
If it's blue pine / Wallichiana - Treat like Strobus

I got this information from my barber from Pakistan this afternoon. He's a gardener in his free time. But I'm not sure if he is very skilled or very knowledgeable at gardening. So don't take my word for it. He came up with the names of these pines from the top of his head and I had to look them up, so I figure he knows more than I do. He mentioned two other species that I don't remember.
The problem is that I don't know what the standard recipe is for scots pine. Walter Pall once answered the question of how to treat strobus as "like any other pine". I am also very unclear what exactly is the standard routine is for 'any pine'.

Perhaps if 'we' wrote these recipes down, the listing could be posted as a handy BNut Resource. That, I think would be good.
 

TN_Jim

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The problem is that I don't know what the standard recipe is for scots pine. Walter Pall once answered the question of how to treat strobus as "like any other pine". I am also very unclear what exactly is the standard routine is for 'any pine'.

Perhaps if 'we' wrote these recipes down, the listing could be posted as a handy BNut Resource. That, I think would be good.

What he said..
 

Ali Raza

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Sorry for the late reply, here are pictures of pine tree collected.
 

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Ali Raza

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It really depends on what kind of pine you have. Different pines require different care. The links Brian posted are for Japanese black pines, or strong "two-flush" pines that will push two flushes of growth per year. You would not use the same approach on a different, slower growing species like Japanese white pine.

If you don't know the species, share photos of not only the entire tree, but a closeup of the needles and where the needles attach to the branch. Maybe we can identify it.
it is afghan pine
 

Ali Raza

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If it's aleppo pine - treat like a JBP unless other experts tell you differently.
If it's Chilgoza / Gerardiana - Treat like scots pine
If it's Chir pine / Roxburghi - Treat like scots pine
If it's blue pine / Wallichiana - Treat like Strobus

I got this information from my barber from Pakistan this afternoon. He's a gardener in his free time. But I'm not sure if he is very skilled or very knowledgeable at gardening. So don't take my word for it. He came up with the names of these pines from the top of his head and I had to look them up, so I figure he knows more than I do. He mentioned two other species that I don't remember.
thank you wire guy for your effort, it is afghan pine they mostly grow near the Afghanistan border but are found in islamabad as well. I just love to collect pines and train them for the bonsai. I dont have enough space to plant them in the ground, these were collected with permission from the land of my friend. Chilgoza pine do not survive here in islamabad, they mostly grow on the top of mountains where there is snowfall.
 

Ali Raza

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It really depends on what kind of pine you have. Different pines require different care. The links Brian posted are for Japanese black pines, or strong "two-flush" pines that will push two flushes of growth per year. You would not use the same approach on a different, slower growing species like Japanese white pine.

If you don't know the species, share photos of not only the entire tree, but a closeup of the needles and where the needles attach to the branch. Maybe we can identify it.
Pinus roxburghii is two flush pine, while afghan pine is single flush pine
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I don't know anything about these pines, but they look extremely hard to work with.
It would be interesting to see though!
If you pick the ugliest ones you have, you could use different techniques on them to see what works.
 
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