Pine cone technique
I’ve often heard the lament that there isn’t enough good black pine bonsai available. I can sympathize. Returning from a visit to Japan can forever skew one’s perspective toward very high quality trees – trees that are hard to come by in the US. Short of a move to a country with permissive import laws or a career in smuggling, one of our best options for sourcing black pine bonsai is growing them from scratch.
Growing bonsai from seed is a somewhat selfless act as the next generation will benefit more from our work than we will. That said, growing trees from seed can be a lot of fun. Growing up in a family that maintains a retail nursery has instilled in me an appreciation for the horticultural side of bonsai. And as pine has been a life-long favorite of mine, it’s only been natural to grow them from seed.
I’ll admit – I was very fortunate to start a batch of pine seedlings my first year in bonsai. For that I owe thanks to Boon. And to Bonsai Tonight issues #12 and #20. For anyone considering growing black pine from seed I highly recommend getting your hands on these issues as they’re full of good advice on the topic.
The first step is finding pine cones. Fortunately, Japanese black pines are popular landscape trees. The trick is finding a good specimen. Things to look for: needle quality, bud density, and bark.
After finding a good specimen, stop by in October when the cones mature. I collected the cones below a few weeks ago. Upon returning to the same tree this afternoon, I noticed that almost all of the remaining cones had opened – meaning that I’d be waiting until next year before harvesting more cones.
Pine cones – Japanese black pine
Try for larger cones rather than smaller, and cones from more vigorous branches rather than those from weaker ones. Experience has shown that the more robust the cone, the better the seeds inside.
Typical pine cone
After bringing the cones home, give them a quick bath in a highly diluted lime-sulfur solution to kill any fungus or pests that might be living amongst the cones. Then set the cones out to dry.
Cleaned and ready to dry
Soil sifters, it turns out, make great cone-drying trays. Place the cones in the sifter, then cover them with an additional screen to keep the birds away. Don’t place the cones too close together as they’ll expand when they open up.
Protected from birds
If you haven’t done this before, I recommend collecting more cones than you think are necessary. While some produce a handful of viable seeds, others produce none. I also start many more pines than I want to end up with. Even when growing seedlings from an outstanding source, it’s not certain that all offspring will be as impressive as the parent. Starting a few more than you need is a good way to hedge your bets.
More from EBBS – outstanding Shore juniper
One of my favorite trees from East Bay Bonsai Society’s 48th annual bonsai show is the Shore juniper pictured below.
Shore juniper – medium size
Rick, the tree’s owner, has been developing the tree for a number of years from a landscape shrub. The deadwood on the trunk is excellent – I’ve included pictures from several sides below.
Deadwood detail
Deadwood detail
Deadwood detail
Rick deserves credit for his work on this tree and for his collection in general. As does his wife, Janet. The two maintain an impressive collection that’s featured in this month’s Bonsai Focus (5/2009 #123). If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you check it out. Look carefully and you’ll see this tree in at least two of the photos.
Deadwood story
In nature, animals, insects, rocks, wind, snow and self-sacrifice expose heartwood to the elements creating the oftentimes beautiful shapes and patterns we recognize as “deadwood” in bonsai. Deadwood always suggests a story – the cause of the trauma to a tree that killed part of it off. Some of these stories are more compelling than others. It’s the compelling stories that we look for in bonsai.
Looking closely at the grain of this exposed wood reveals minute subtleties of shape and texture – the result, in part, of characteristics inherent to the wood itself.
When we create deadwood on our trees through carving and other techniques we inscribe a story directly onto the tree. The more compelling the carving, the more compelling the story. This is where quality comes in.
I’m impressed when bonsai artists quickly carve up deadwood with power tools. I’m more impressed when they do it well. Creating shapes not found in nature, working unevenly from branch to branch or haphazardly crossing the grain can belie a tree’s nature and create an incongruous story that yields more dissonance than harmony. Carefully thought out and well-executed carving can trigger our imagination by suggesting a more plausible story for a tree.
Michael Hagedorn relates an anecdote about natural deadwood in his account of life as an apprentice, Post Dated: The Schooling of an Irreverent Bonsai Monk. Barely able to contain his excitement about a tree that was new to his garden, Shinji Suzuki encouraged his students to name the “best point” of the tree:
Tachi hesitated, and said, “Ubu?” “YES!” said Mr. Suzuki. “This tree has never seen a carving tool – it could never have been improved by one.” Ubu (as if just born, innocent) is a very special, rare quality in an old bonsai that Mr. Suzuki is particularly fond of impressing on us. Still his excitement grew. “Michael! Michael!” he repeated, grinning at the tree and prancing around it, “Tachi! TACHI! There ARE no such trees, this is the very apex of bonsai, a true Major Leaguer! (36)
Natural deadwood is a vehicle for nature’s story. Carved deadwood, and to some degree the whole practice of bonsai, is our vehicle.
Here are a few photos of pine deadwood found along the Mt. Whitney trail.
Limber pine deadwood
Lodgepole pine deadwood
Lodgepole pine deadwood
Lodgepole pine deadwood
Where there is jackie there is a way
Some bonsai are born great, others are made. Just because nature – or a nursery – doesn’t provide a tree with graceful lines or dramatic features doesn’t mean that it isn’t destined for greatness. Of course some trees are best left alone. Which is what many thought when they walked past the juniper pictured below.
Halfway there – Jeff and Boon convert force to grace
Jeff thought otherwise. I don’t know if he had a plan in mind when he acquired this tree, but he saw something that others didn’t. Maybe he saw the opportunity to do some carving and put jackie to use – a fun way to spend any workshop.
I look forward to seeing how the tree turns out – and I hope I recognize it when the time comes!
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