In the last post we looked at a technique for starting exposed root pine bonsai. When all goes according to plan, the tree will grow into its new container and look something like the photo below a year later. Exposed root pine one year after planting in a deep container The next step is easy […]
Black Pine
How to create exposed root pine bonsai
Creating exposed root pine bonsai is simple – plant a seedling in a deep container with large soil particles that can give the roots an interesting shape. Here’s what the process looks like in detail. Start with young pines and a deep container. Deep container Young pines As for soil, use what works best for […]
Bonsai Development Series #2: maintaining low branches on young pines
One of the most common questions I hear relating to the development of pine bonsai has to do with the lower branches: What should I do with them? The answer is fairly simple – keep them. There are, however, some details that may come in handy. Let’s look at an example. The pine below is […]
Evaluating summer growth – how much is enough?
One of the most common questions I get this time of year is whether or not the summer growth on decandled pines is strong enough. A better question might be, based on the summer growth to date, is there something I need to do to keep the tree on track? Here’s a black pine I […]
Larger pots make a big difference for young pines
I’ve been growing black pines for a long time. My approach has been pretty consistent the past few years and I can dependably produce trees that look like the following after 2½ years. 2½-year-old black pine This past year I made a small change to the process. Here’s the same 2½-year-old pine next to a […]