Why japanese black pine?

[Adair M]

And furthermore, what you see in the foliage is also happening with the roots. If you don’t see good strong foliage growth, you’re also not getting good root growth. I suspect you will find the root ball is very solid, poor draining, the bottom of the pot is too wet.

 

[sdavis]

I disagree with several of the above comments.

Japanese black pine is NOT as winter hardy as Japanese five-needle pine. Look where they occur naturally in Japan. Japanese black pine is near the sea. Japanese five-needle pines are from the mountains. The seaside is much warmer than the mountains. Just this past winter two of my most skilled and accomplished students lost all their Japanese black pine, overwintered in their garages, the same way as in the past 20 some years.

I have found Scots pine to be quite similar in feeling as the Japanese pine species and is much more winter hardy, and that's of paramount importance when you live in frigid areas of our country. A few of my Scots pine are quite spectacular, and truth be told I could easily give up Japanese black pine and concentrate on Scots pines.

I've been throughout Japan and also visited several cities in China. There are more bonsai in China, not Japan. You can't really make that statement unless you have actually been there, really. Also, I think it would be a toss up between Japanese five-needle pine and Japanese black pine as the most popular in Japan, probably Japanese five-needle pine is most abundant.

Many of the most common Japanese bonsai training techniques were first discovered using Japanese five-needle pine. Then the popularity of Japanese black pine increased and specialists who lived near the sea, where these pines are native to used them to create bonsai commercially. They experimented and found the Japanese black pine to be quite responsive. Saichi Suzuki was THE pine master in Japan, although he is most famous for introducing Zuisho Japanese five-needle pine.

I find it amusing that so many people on the internet make comments on bonsai in Japan who have never actually been there to see what is happening.

Attached are a couple of my Scots pines, all container grown, never been in the ground, and only occasionally placed on the ground temporarily. The formal upright Scots pine is shown in May 2006, May 2013 and May 2014. Now, the last photo does not do the tree justice. It was pinched to control the new growth for display in the US National Bonsai Exhibition. It looks superb. If you want to see it you can visit the Midwest Bonsai Show next weekend in Chicago, or even better, come to Rochester, NY on September 13-14th to see it, PLUS over 200 of the finest bonsai in the United States. Yes, there will be many Japanese black pines and numerous other species and cultivars as well. Or you can purchase the forthcoming 4th US National Bonsai Exhibition Commemorative Album.

Bill

Excellent comments, Bill!

 

[Anthony]

Thank you, Sifu!
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Anthony]

Not meaning to cross anyone.
There are listings for J.B.pine [ as seed on Amazon ] for zones
5 and 6.
The Mikawa, and there is a shrub type [ information on Google just
put in J,B.pine zone 5 or 6 ] as well.

Is all of that seed supplied on Amazon coming from from China ?
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Anthony]

Sifu,

you will be pleased to know that last month we thinned out the
"buds" and opened the hearts to sunlight, next year is repotting time.
Will keep you informed.
Thanks again.
Slow student.
Anthony

* Not to worry about wet soil, the pots are porous.

 

[Bon Sai]

No, that’s not a cork bark JBP. It’s just a regular JBP with flaky bark.

A cork bark JBP looks like this:

View attachment 195778

Weird looking tree. I don't like it.

 

[JeffinNYC]

Reading all posts brings me to see your not inconsequential problem. Sorry you had to relocate there. Being a native here we really are blessed in the many temperate trees we can keep that do poorly in most southern and some northern locations. Personally do not favor any cold weather but many trees do so must appreciate for that. Most winters we have several nights here in the teens and maybe sub teen temps and several daytimes that stay below 30 and sometimes below 20 and have seen several times sub zero but fortunately RARELY. Zone seems not to agree well as Zone 8 considering this. You have difficult dilemma so personally suggest consulting local Bonsai folks what will do well there? What about CA inland but not mountain growing trees? Much heat but not extreme low cold temps I think.

I have appended the current dewpoints from today, in mid-June, well before the maximum averages of July and August. This is the better measure of “heat zone.” The humid South is tough for tender plants. I brought back a Rhododendron yakushimanum from Seattle in September one year during the mid-‘90’s. It grew very well, survived a cold winter, and bloomed very well in the spring. Starting in late April, however, it died back a little bit every single day, and by June 1, it was just a collection of dead twigs.