In general, we can expect black and red pines to produce a single flush of growth all year. If we remove this growth at the right time, we can expect a second flush to grow in the same calendar year. On occasion, we might see pines produce this second flush of growth on their own. […]
Black Pine
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 […]
Bonsai Development Series #7: Preparing the next sacrifice branch
I’m working on a number of five and six-year-old pines. Several look like the tree below, with vigorous growth on the top half of the tree and smaller shoots below. Five-year-old red pine – 27″ I’d like to slow down the top half of the tree to encourage the bottom half to become more vigorous. […]
An early start to the decandling season
The decandling season is starting earlier than normal for me this year. I’m looking to prepare a few trees for an exhibit in September but the pines in my garden usually grow through October and into November. By decandling early, I can increase the odds that a tree will look good in September at the […]
Caring for recently dug pines
The first few years of growing pines from scratch can be a lot of fun. From sprouting the seeds, to making seedling cuttings, to setting the first curves of the trunk, the early years of pine development include some fun steps. The opposite is true when working with field-grown material. Field-grown Japanese black pine The […]