I’ve been thinking about how to introduce Ryan Neil’s garden and school, Bonsai Mirai, and have decided to let the trees speak for themselves. Enjoy 🙂 Ponderosa pine Ryan Neil telling the story of the first tree he collected Limber pine Mountain hemlock Douglass fir Ponderosa pine Douglas fir Ponderosa pine Ponderosa pine Ponderosa pine Limber […]
Search Results for: pine
Repotting black pine in nursery soil
Sometimes during repotting, I feel like I’ve passed a point of no return. The feeling struck when I was working on a black pine this past winter. After combing out the roots – there’s no going back The pine – see Friday’s “Cleaning up a black pine” for a look at the tree today – is […]
Cleaning up a black pine
I’m only now getting to some of the work I’d lined up for last fall. For some varieties like junipers, this poses no particular challenge. For pines, basic seasonal tasks like cutback and needle pulling get tricky once springs candles elongate as candles can break easily. I don’t mind working on pines that are only […]
Stratifying pine seeds
If you’re looking to plant seeds this spring, now may be a good time to do it. Considering how warm this winter has been in Northern California, January may have been a good time to get started, but either way it’s not too late to start now – weather permitting. Many seeds benefit from scarification – […]
Pinching spring candles on black pine
The basic premise behind developing material for bonsai is straightforward: first build the trunk, then focus on the branches. When building the trunk, encourage vigorous growth to thicken the trunk rapidly. When focusing on branch development, encourage less vigorous growth to ensure good branch density. Sounds easy, but there may be a bit more to […]