If you’re looking to plant seeds this spring, now may be a good time to do it. Considering how warm this winter has been in Northern California, January may have been a good time to get started, but either way it’s not too late to start now – weather permitting. Many seeds benefit from scarification – […]
Black Pine
Pinching spring candles on black pine
The basic premise behind developing material for bonsai is straightforward: first build the trunk, then focus on the branches. When building the trunk, encourage vigorous growth to thicken the trunk rapidly. When focusing on branch development, encourage less vigorous growth to ensure good branch density. Sounds easy, but there may be a bit more to […]
Feed me!
What’s wrong with this picture? Cork bark black pine The tree is growing, but there is no sign of fertilizer. With tea bags filled with cottonseed meal That’s better. The sooner I can start fertilizing, the stronger I can make the tree by decandling time. I enjoy seeing the male flowers on pine, despite the mess. […]
Time for a smaller pot
First develop the trunk, then work on the branches. That’s how I think about bonsai development. If the trunk has yet to reach its final size, I use large pots and encourage vigorous growth. When I’m happy with the trunk, I move trees to smaller pots and focus on refinement. A number of my black pines turn […]
Too much of a good thing
As I worked my way through the repotting of many pines this winter, I found a young specimen that’s beginning to take shape. Nice, I thought, it even has a good root base. Then I looked closer. Black pine – 11 years from seed Up close, I found that the roots were actually a bit much […]