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Summer show prep: repotting black pine in July

July 10, 2018 by Jonas Dupuich

With the fall bonsai exhibits still two months away, now’s a great time for some last minute show prep.

The owner of the pine below plans to exhibit the tree in the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York, this fall.

Black pine – one month after decandling

To show the tree at its best, we’d like to improve the silhouette by wiring and move the tree into a better quality pot.

Here’s the tree after wiring.

After wiring

And here’s the tree after minor root work.

After root work

A few months ago, the tree’s owner asked MC2 Pottery to create a pot or two for the tree. Two pots arrived in the mail, each with designs on the front and back of the pot.

Pot 1 – side A

Pot 1 – side B

Pot 2 – side A

Pot 2 – side B

Looking around the workshop for more pots to try, we found a couple less traditional options. One was a bit small, the other was too big.

Pot 3

Pot 4

The winner for this round was pot 2, side B.

After repotting – pot 2, side B

Because the root work was minor, little aftercare is required. I’d try to keep the tree in a shady spot in hot weather for the next few weeks, and after that it can return to its sunny spot in the garden.

A big thanks to Hurley Johnson of Timeless Trees in Rosenberg, Texas, for use of his workshop (and for a fun bonsai weekend!) and to Vern Maddox for the chance to work on this pine that I started from seed in 2004.

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Filed Under: Display Tagged With: Black Pine

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lars says

    July 10, 2018 at 5:49 am

    Hi Jonas,

    Can you comment about the thought process of having the ‘movement’ in the pot design be right to left. My first gut instinct was to use pot 2 side A to be consistent with the left to right movement of the tree itself.

    Thanks as always for a great post.

    Lars

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 10, 2018 at 8:24 am

      Great question Lars – I think I didn’t like that the decoration on side A is nearly the exact size and angle as the first branch on the left. I agree that it’s more consistent with the trunk, but was looking to avoid the parallel lines between it and the first branch. I find it fun to see the difference between the two options and think both could work. Thanks for the note!

  2. Steven Koenig says

    July 10, 2018 at 8:34 am

    Hi Jonas
    Could you go into more detail on the minor root work done? And could this be done this time of year on JBP that didn’t get a full repot in late winter/early spring?
    Thanks
    Steven

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 10, 2018 at 4:12 pm

      Hi Steven! Pines can typically be repotted at decandling time. I don’t do as much work on the roots in summer as I do in winter, but it’s not a bad time for the work as the tree’s water needs are much lower after removing the spring growth.

      That said, I rarely, if ever, plan to repot pines in summer. I think of it as an option that comes in handy when I need to change the pot mid-season, especially since I live in climate where summer is mild.

  3. John C (JC) says

    July 10, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    Hi Jonas
    For me I would have gone with Pot 4 the top rim flows with the tree branching and is a better marriage.
    It looks as though the pot is trying to take over the show for me.
    JC

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 10, 2018 at 4:08 pm

      Thanks, John! Pot 4 is a fun choice. Were the quality of the pot higher and the size a bit smaller we may have come closer to selecting it.

  4. Alessandro says

    July 12, 2018 at 12:26 am

    Ciao Jonas!
    I like this pine, but do you think that it’s ready for an exibit? The branches didn’t looks that ready to me.
    Thanks, Alessandro.

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      July 12, 2018 at 7:10 am

      Hi Alessandro! This tree is definitely on the early side. Another flush of growth over the next two months will help fill the silhouette, but I expect the branch structure to be in much better shape in about two years.

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