Back in July I treated a number of black and red pines for suspected root aphids (see “Why are my trees yellow“). I’ve noticed a few changes since then and wanted to share what I’ve seen. Some yellow growth has turned green The healthiest trees are sending out summer shoots The weakest trees remain unchanged […]
Black Pine
Redirecting growth on pines
Decandling and cutback are great techniques for redirecting growth on black pines. Here are some examples. Tree #1 After eleven years, the trunk of the tree below has reached the desired size. Any further significant growth and the curves would begin to disappear. The goal for this stage of development is to reduce investment in […]
Decandling shohin black pine
The steps are simple. 1) Remove spring shoots. Shohin black pine – 21 years old After removing spring shoots 2) Remove extra needles. After removing extra needles 3) Perform light cutback as needed. The first branch on the right is long After shortening the first branch on the right That’s it. In all I removed 14 […]
Effect of hormone treatments on P. thunbergii cuttings for the production of surface roots on trees cultivated for bonsai
Abstract Pinus thunbergii is a popular species of conifer cultivated as bonsai. In an effort to produce superior surface roots on P. thunbergii, bonsai enthusiasts have developed a method of making cuttings from young seedlings to replace any taproots with radially distributed lateral roots. These lateral roots are developed to improve the look of the tree when […]
Looking out for swelling on recently wired branches
Spring is a time of year when bonsai grow fast. That’s cause for both celebration and caution. For trees that have been wired, spring is when the wires are most likely to cut in. A casual glance at trees that have been wired often isn’t enough. 3 1/2 year-old black pine – the wire looks ok […]