Japanese White Pine - Care Survey

wabashene

Japanese White Pine
Results of Care Survey

Over the past few weeks have carried out some research on the care of Japanese White Pine for locales Zone 7 or warmer in an attempt to come to some general conclusions about what can seem to be a mystery tree at times.

The research covered

A Bonsai Forum
2 major UK importers/ vendors
1 European Expert Site
2 Japanese Expert Sites
3 USA Expert sites

Topics studied/ asked about were:-

When to prune
Candle pinching when/why
Needle pulling when/why
When to wire
When to re-pot
Fertilising regime
Soil & watering regime

Findings

There was general agreement on soil & watering i.e. fast draining soil & watering carefully with the Europeans/ Japanese recommending pure medium/large grained akadama where of course it is cheap & accessible.

All agreed on wiring in late autumn up to early spring with only one recommending anytime.

All agreed on re-potting in spring with half suggesting late summer if necessary.

Also agreement on fertilizing to an extent. i.e. balanced type with an acidifying agent 2-3 times a year or regularly with 1/2 strength Miracid or similar. One major UK importer recommended an application of trace elements mid season.

Fertilizer type was different however with the Europeans and Japanese recommending rapeseed cake over manufactured chemical based types.

Two thirds (6 of 9) recommended heavy pruning for structure in winter/late autumn. One USA source said spring and one European said early summer. There was general agreement that light maintenance pruning could be carried out at other times.

Regarding candle pinching, some sources were more specific than others. The bonsai forum site and a USA expert site said take off 1/3 – end of story. (using the same source info?) Most of the other advice revolved around the general idea of pinching strong areas more than weak areas to balance growth and reducing strong areas to 2 buds. One UK site was very detailed about how much to pinch and where, dependent on how far back on the branch the shoot was.

One USA site stressed that candle pinching of JWP was the opposite of 2 needle pines in that you start with the strongest candles first to balance the energy.

Another USA site suggested removing all new shoots every other year if a tree was strong whereas one European expert was quite specific that a JWP should never be completely de-candled.

Does this constitute totally contradictory information?

Apart from this last point, we have nothing controversial really and the JWP doesn’t appear t be any different from any other pine species – so why all the fuss?

Only 2 of the 9 sources surveyed covered needle plucking specifically (1 Japanese expert and 1 UK vendor) and on questioning it turned out that the former had trained the latter!

The advice was to pull needles on strong shoots in winter to balance the tree’s energy and to thin growth to allow light into the tree, promote back budding etc.

On a personal note, the needle plucking regime was the hardest idea to envisage but now that I have done one tree once I’ve kind of got the drift.

This is not a totally exhaustive piece of research but may help Japanese White Pine owners or perhaps confuse them even more.

Does anyone have anything to add?

TimR

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pootsie

How about Stone Lantern's recent Pine book?

pootsie

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p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

wabashene

Haven't read it so can't comment and not planning on ordering it atm.

Are there any major differences?

TimR

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WHITEPINE

Hi,


Thanks very much for that. Although I know that the UK is mostly in zone 8, It seems to me that much of what you have reported could form the basis of a general rule book on how you treat JWP in whole of the UK.


In the short time that I’ve been seriously interested in bonsai, I have realised that no other species is the cause of so much confusion to many people, including me. Your comments will go a long way to clearing this confusion up.


Perhaps your local conditions is more vital to JWPs then any other type of bonsai.?




Stephen

wabashene

Stephen,

Although this representative but limited research throws up general agreement on most points, there still seems to be a slight "issue" with candle treatment - whether to pinch or not, how much and when - and also it's difficult to discern any real guidance on how to deal with a tree in development as opposed to one at the refinement stage.

What I can say is that I have been following the general advice as outlined above but have been pruning branches back to weak shoots to develop the branches in winter. The tree has been growing more or less unrestrained at other times.

The left pic shows last years new buds growing strongly and on the right is a new bud this year.

These are all quite a way back on the branches so there will be points to prune back to and enabling me to re-shape the tree in the future.

It is budding very well at the moment and is slightly stronger (as expected) nearer the top of the tree.

The vendor recommends some candle removal late spring in very vigorous areas to balance the tree.

It also true that you will not find much more than general advice on the www or in books and certainly will not obtain very detailed instruction on refinement of specific species which is where a club, a "sensei" or mentor and good old experience assume a more important role.

TimR

Attached Images

JWP BUDS.jpg (58.7 KB, 73 views)

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WHITEPINE

Hi,


Thanks for that – is the pics of a newly acquired tree?, if so have you posted any pics of it yet?


I think the top 1/3 of my tree may need slowing down a little, but obviously I’m quite nervous of doing anything at all this year.

Stephen

wabashene

Stephen,

No this is the same tree I posted here.

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=17738

There will be no problem if you reduce multiple candles at the top of the tree down to two weaker ones starting in a few weeks when they are pinchable.

TimR

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Vance Wood

Wabashene: You wrote the following:
Apart from this last point, we have nothing controversial really and the JWP doesn’t appear t be any different from any other pine species – so why all the fuss?

You went through all of that and came up with that conclusion? I am amazed. If you have both two needle pines and a White Pine watch them this year and make note of when each starts forming buds. You will find that two needle Pines form buds early in the season and White Pines form buds late into the fall. White Pines are weak and slow to respond with new buds. The advise that your received that the two trees are opposite is fundamentally correct. You were probably told techniques without being furnished a reason for them. Two needle pines as I mentioned form new buds early. Therefore if you pinch or remove the weaker shoots or candles early you stimulate this response to produce new buds early on the weaker shoots. In essence you give them a head start. Ten days latter you do the same to the strong shoots which will start forming buds in response. In the end the weaker shoots have had ten day to two weeks longer to make buds and by fall the stronger shoots will have produced smaller buds being ten day to two weeks less in growing time.

White Pines respond differently. When you cut of candles you may not see new buds form unless the location is very vigorous in the first place. So the idea is to work on the buds by removing more of the new more vigorous shoots or candles shorter and the weaker not as much and sometimes latter. You are giving the weaker growth more time to grow and more energy to grow with, and less of both to the more vigorous arteas.

In short if you look at it this way it is easier to understand. With two needle Pines you are playing head start with the weaker growth. With five needle Pines you are playing catch up with the weaker growth.

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wabashene

Glad you chipped in Vance and I am amazed that you are amazed:-)

I've seen some scare stories about 5 needle pine across the forums so I felt that it was worth giving a quick overview of the available advice before "cutting to the chase."

Fact is that only one source researched specifically stresses removal of stronger candles first to promote budding later in the year and most of the available advice on 5 needle pines is downright vague to say the very least.

Then there's buds and candles. My JWP is staring to candle now - slightly after my mugos, sylvestris and strobus, but the little teeny weeny buds were visible for the most part in winter. Buds are only showing on the sylvestris now while some candles from last year's buds are over an inch.

Hopefully people can come to this thread and learn.

How about a JWP appendix to your book?

Thanks

TimR

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