Summer buds start forming on black and red pines within days of decandling. I try to wire trees that need it before summer buds appear to avoid damaging them. What do I do when small buds appear but I still want to wire a tree? When I’m feeling ambitious, I go ahead and wire with […]
Search Results for: pine
How to pot pine seedling-cuttings
When making cuttings of young pine seedlings – seedling cuttings – it’s important to use a potting medium that retains moisture. An easy way to achieve this is by using a potting medium like sand. Its small particles retain moisture and enough air for new roots to develop. Although fine sand particles are good for […]
Pine seedlings
[8/16/16 – See the updated and expanded version: How to grow Japanese black pine from seed] I planted pine seeds again this year – black and red. The seeds came from Shikoku, Japan. It’s legal to import pine seeds – permits are available from the USDA – and the process is surprisingly simple. Once I got […]
Omoshiroi red pine forest
“Omoshiroi” means “funny” or “interesting” in Japanese. It can be used to convey respect or mockery – which makes it a useful term for bonsai. During a Bay Island Bonsai workshop hosted by Daisaku Nomoto, I brought in a red pine forest I’d grown from seed. Nomoto found the grove to be omoshiroi. He took […]
Developing young pine bonsai
A number of my black pines are turning eight this year. Some are starting to look like young bonsai. Others simply look young. As none have grown to the size I have in mind for them, the work at this stage is straight forward. I’ve trained the tree below in the exposed root style. This […]