Earlier this year I grafted a few cork bark scions onto 3-year old black pines (see “Creating cork bark black pine“). As the new shoots inside the grafting bags began to harden off, I opened the bags a big to prevent the foliage from rotting. A few weeks later I removed the tape shading the […]
Search Results for: pine
One-and-a-half-year-old pine seedlings
This past March I potted up a number of seedling cuttings made in 2012 (see Repotting 1 year-old black pine seedlings). 1 year-old black pine seedlings Just four months later, the seedlings are much bigger. 1.5 year-old black pine from seedling cutting Low buds developing without prompting Apical shoots opening – a good sign of […]
Decandling a shohin black pine
I wrapped up my decandling for the year by removing the new shoots from a small black pine last weekend. I waited fairly late to decandle the tree as there’s a chance I’ll show it in the upcoming Bay Island Bonsai exhibit and I didn’t want the new needles to be too long. Shohin black […]
Pulling pine needles
As several approaches to decandling red and black pine involve pulling needles, I thought I’d include a few tips about how to properly pluck pine needles. Why do we pull pine needles? To reduce food production. Decreasing the number of needles on a tree slows food production and reduces vigor. It also encourages the tree […]
Decandling black pine – making the cut
After many years of decandling red and black pine bonsai, I find I still need to pay close attention as I work. It’s easy to cut too high or too low, cut at an angle, or accidentally cut nearby needles. If you can avoid these cutting mistakes, you’re off to a great start. Making the […]