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Originally Posted by malix
I love the trunks on collected Ponderosa but the foliage is somewhat unattractive. The needles seem too long. They are sometimes curved rather than straight ( maybe due to their length?).. and the color of black pine needles seems to be a more vibrant geen.
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I love the trunks as well. I see where you are going with this thought but there are some things to consider before resorting to an iffy procedure (grafting). Needle reduction techniques work well. I have a couple of ponderosa with nice needles. Shorter than typical JBP. Speaking of JBP there are many with long needles, some contorted and even others with a non vibrant green needle.
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Originally Posted by malix
Has anyone done this? Does it make a better bonsai?
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I am sure it has been done, perhaps just to say it has been done. Better? That's a huge chasm of opinion that I don't want to try to cross.
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Originally Posted by malix
Does the bark match up in color and texture as they age?? Would there be any uneven growth between one and he other such as with Five needle and black pine. In the case of five needle and black pine grafts there is usually a huge discrepency and it makes the plants look terrible IMO.
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Good questions. I do not think the barks would match up perfectly but that alone would not spoil it - not nearly as bad as a poor graft would. It would also depend on the scion stock of the JBP. There are a lot of barks on JBP. It would take some research to try and find one that looks good to you.
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Originally Posted by malix
Just wondering if anyone has explored this or what your opinions might be.
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If you choose to go down this path practice the art of grafting. Get good with the mechanics and timing. Then attempt on scrub stock - I am sure someone out there has some less than perfect collected stock. I would spend some time studying JBP to find that perfect match of bark. Perhaps a frankenstein tree with many JBP cultivar scions in various places. In a few years you would see what looks the best.
Sounds like a lot of work and waiting time to see what the results might be... Sounds like a good challenge.