A common approach to developing bonsai from scratch is to focus on trunk development first and branch refinement second. When we focus on developing the trunk, we generally encourage rapid growth until the trunk reaches the desired size. Much slower growth is useful when focusing on branch ramification. Between these two stages of development is […]
Search Results for: black pine development
Before and after – cutback and decandling exposed root black pines in development
I thought I was nearing the end of decandling season when I remembered a table of black and red pines trained as exposed root bonsai. My standard approach is to not decandle exposed root pines until the trees are older and the roots are thicker. Of course, the standard approach also entails wiring the trunk […]
Early stage development on field-grown black pines
Working on field-grown material a few years out of the ground is some of my favorite work. The main objectives for this early stage development are to heal wounds, create the upper sections of the trunk, and develop the primary branches. The black pine below has been out of the ground for two or three […]
Review: Mastering Shohin Japanese Black Pine Bonsai
Eric Schrader and the team behind Bonsaify.com released an online course this week titled, “Mastering Shohin Japanese Black Pine Bonsai: A Complete Guide from Seedling to Show Tree.” I reviewed a pre-release version of the course and am happy to report that it’s a great starting point for anyone looking for support in their journey […]
Field-grown black pine progression – part 2
In last week’s post we left off in 2017 – about 10-15 years into the development of a black pine that was field-grown at Lone Pine Gardens in Sebastopol, California. Here’s the tree two years later. March, 2019 Because the tree hadn’t been wired in several years, the large gap between the lower and upper […]