As a number of you noticed in the last post, using a straight cylinder for creating exposed root pine bonsai can lead to a fairly uninteresting trunk line. This can be fixed easily – here’s how. Below is a photo of a 12 year-old pine trained in the exposed root style. There is a nice […]
Black Pine
Developing a new leader on exposed root pines
A few years ago I started a batch of exposed root pines – black and red. I let them grow for several years without wiring and they now look like this. Black pine trained in the exposed root style You’ll notice the trunk is completely straight – the least appropriate form for exposed root bonsai […]
Exposed root black pine – the first wire
A couple of years ago I planted several young pines in deep containers with the objective of creating exposed root bonsai (see “Repotting 1 year-old black pine seedlings“). These young trees have grown and now have a single large shoot. 2 year-old seedling The shoot is straight and the only branches are near the top […]
Exposed root black pines at the Green Club
A number of the Japanese black pines I’ve grown from seed have been developed in the exposed root style. It’s a fun style to work with as roots offer possibilities that aren’t always available for specimens whose roots are firmly secured in the pot. My first exposure to the style was at the Green Club […]
Refining a black pine
This summer I recorded the process of refining a black pine for Bonsai: Journal of the American Bonsai Society. The resulting article appeared in Volume 50, Number 3. The work was a lot of fun. I took a few more photos than usual and wrote about decandling, cutback, needle pulling and wiring. Here’s a snapshot of […]