If you’ve been working with bonsai for several years, you may have an idea of what needs to happen when. If you’re new to bonsai, or to a given species, it can be helpful to create a calendar to keep track of annual maintenance tasks. Here’s a guide to help you develop your own bonsai […]
Search Results for: pine
New pot for an exposed root black pine
Just over a year ago, I reworked an exposed root black pine and started thinking about what kind of pot it could go in (see “Refining a young exposed root pine“). Exposed root black pine – December 2017 Last month I took the tree out of the pot, did some root work, and started looking […]
Refining the roots on an exposed root pine
One of the more fun parts of developing exposed root pines is adding movement to the roots. If you use a columnar container for the roots, the roots will grow in the shape of the column. Exposed root red pine It’s easy to add character to the shape of the roots as long as they […]
Watch out for wilting candles on young pines
It’s fun to see new shoots elongating on black and red pines this time of year. The light colored growth makes a nice contrast against the darker green foliage from the previous year and the length of the shoots are a good measure of the tree’s health. Spring growth on a black pine group planting […]
Developing cascade black pine
The first batch of cascade black pines I started are now five years old. After decandling the trees last spring, it’s time for cutback and wiring. Five year-old cascade black pine Right side There are a number of spots along the trunk where too many branches emerge. Ideally, no more than a single branch would […]




