Sometimes the reasons why we decandle pine bonsai can get lost in the discussion of how we decandle. In short, decandling is the single-most important technique used to develop beautiful pine bonsai. Black pine exhibited at the 2011 Taikan-ten Why decandle red and black pine bonsai? To stimulate back budding. The stress caused by removing […]
Black Pine
What is decandling?
There is a lot to say about decandling pine bonsai. There are as many approaches to decandling as there are bonsai professionals, and many of these approaches have merit. As we go into this year’s decandling season, I’d like make a few comments on the topic in as straightforward a fashion as possible. My starting […]
The easiest pine maintenance of the year
Like so many varieties, black pine bonsai tend to require our attention throughout the year. In addition to regular watering and feeding, needles need plucking, roots need repotting, and branches need wiring – tasks which often require some level of artistry or at least our close attention. Not so for my favorite spring task – […]
Developing young pines
Last week I wrote about starting trees along a path that would yield either large, medium or small bonsai (see “Wiring 3 year-old black pines“). I have a number of black pines that are now turning nine years old. Based on the curves in the trunk, I’m now deciding if the trees will make better […]
Pine cutback basics
For as much as I’ve written about pine care, I haven’t said much about cutback. Cutback can be tricky as there are many reasons to remove or not remove branches in given situations. Different teachers approach the topic differently, and often multiple approaches can yield good results. Ignoring any complexity for the time being, I’ll […]