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Good buds, bad buds

September 4, 2015 by Jonas Dupuich

Of the two young black pines below, which do you expect to grow more next year – the one on the left, or the one on the right?

Black pines

2-1/2 year-old black pines

My money’s on the tree on the right. Not because the foliage is a darker green, but because the buds are so much stronger.

Healthy bud

Healthy apical bud

The tree on the left is weak and has tiny buds. This is likely due to some stress on the tree such as infestation or aggressive repotting. As a result, the tree isn’t preparing for a vigorous burst of growth next spring.

Weak bud

Weak apical bud

As expected, the side buds on each tree are weaker than the apical buds.

Healthy bud

Healthy side bud

Weak bud

Weak side bud – you have to squint to see it

If the buds on your pines are small, ask why that may be the case. There’s still time this summer to make corrections before these trees go dormant.

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Filed Under: Bonsai Care Tagged With: Black Pine

Previous Post: « Drench for root aphids follow-up 1
Next Post: Summer growth on black pine »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jean Massumi Hara says

    September 4, 2015 at 4:58 am

    Agree with you Jonas…but probably I would buy the left one(sighting the future)…the lower foliage…is that correct?

  2. Jonas Dupuich says

    September 4, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Hi Jean – good question. The answer depends on whether you want to make a big tree or a smaller tree. Both trees could be used to make fun bonsai in a number of sizes or styles.

  3. Maureen Ogle says

    September 4, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    So: how would you make corrections?

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      September 4, 2015 at 4:39 pm

      Hi Maureen – the corrections are the same for any unhealthy tree. Find out what the problem is and go from there. Many of my trees had root aphids so I started by treating for that (http://bonsaitonight.com/2015/08/04/why-is-my-tree-yellow/). More importantly, I’m watching the water carefully as keeping weak trees too wet or dry is stressful for them.

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