Will_Heath

Pinaceae Pinus banksiana

I have a few jackpines in my collection, nothing that I would call bonsai yet, one I have in a training pot waiting for the roots to grow again, as I purned them and am trying to grow them around a rock. The others I have in the ground trying for some trunk development.

Jack pines are native here in Michigan and they are easily collected here. I find there shapes in the wild to be fantasic, nice bark, and hardy growers. I have had problems reducing the size of the needles, keep this in mind when deciding on a style.

I use a little more sand in my soil mix for these and I find that they are forgiving. They do like full sunlight and they survive here in soils that other trees can't. They do keep they cones for several years in the wild, which gives them a course appearance.

Here in Michigan, the DNR routinely plants great stands of jackpines for Kirkland Waberler habitat and they are quite common in the northern areas of the state.

Good luck