JBP Nursery Stock

Vonsgardens

Protect those low branches at all costs- even if they are currently too long and without apparent buds! I would suggest going up the tree a bit and reducing the number of branches- I know peopla say that you can't prune now- don't worry you won't be need ing them anyway. Leave the central leader and one or two on high, remove everything else that is above how tall you think the tree want s to be. Wire later in the fall and pot up or put in the ground. Nice start for JBP nursery material. John

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bwaynef

I'm of the impression that I should repot this tree in the spring. What exactly would "good root work" be? I'm a bit tentative as to how much root can safely be removed. Having killed a mugo (my only pine) I don't have extensive experience in root pruning pines. I do understand that I shouldn't bareroot the pine. I'm not quite sure exactly how that is supposed to happen, but there seems to be some good material for reading of late on this. Hopefully having the advice will help when I'm physically/actually confronted with the task.

This tree, as you can see, is currently a tangled mess of branches. I'm tempted to begin branch selection, but hesitant after reading that there should only be one invasive procedure per year for pine. Maybe not those exact words, but hopefully someone will be familiar enough with this idea to recognize what I mean. Should I repot/root prune in the spring before messing with the branches? I just don't wanna mess this one up. (Although I found that this tree came from a nursery in SC. It's probably wholesale but still.)


Thanks,
WF

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bonsaimaniac

What is "Good Root Work" will depend on what the roots look like. Often trees in a nursery contain are root bound and growing in a circular fashion. Root work would involve shortening if necessary and spreading the roots out in a radial fashion. Work at creating a nice nebari if possible. Your goal is to shorten the depth and size of the roots and create an increased number of fine feeder roots. This may not be able to be done at one time do to stress on the tree. You will have to be the judge, if the tree has a well established root system and fine feeders you may want to hack more. If it suffers from root rot or has only a hand full of large roots you do less.

I always think that repotting nursery stock should be the first thing you do. You must get a look at what you have as far as roots. This is the only way you will know how to feed and water the tree properly.

My thought on the whole how much work can you do to a tree in a given time period comes down to how much risk do you want to take and what is the time period in which you want to achieve a nice bonsai. The more work you do on a tree, the longer the time for the tree to recover in general. There's an exception to this but leave that for later. The more roots you hack off the more roots the tree must replace to maintain growth. When working with a pine to create a design you need a healthy root system for pruning to be effective. The harder you prune the longer you should wait for the tree to recover before working on the design. Tackling both the roots and branch work in a single season will increase the stress on a tree and increase the likelihood the tree will not survive. This doesn't mean it can't be done. It depends on the level of risk your willing to take. I've done it with younger trees.

I come the school of thought that you can do quite a bit to a younger tree and get away with it. As long as you care for it properly afterwards.

bonsaikc is right about a projected time frame. Nothing happens quick with a pine.

bwaynef

I was kind of asking specifically for advice for pine...and pine in a 5-gallon can. I understand (most of) the hows, and know the why(s). I've chopped roots 40-60% off boxwood, more than that from maple, elm, and schefflera. I don't really know what kind of work JBP could take though. Thats what I meant when I asked what Chris meant by "good root work." I'll probably take about 40% or so. They're supposed to be pretty tough and I'll try to make sure its fed pretty well going into winter... (low nitrogen time soon.)

Thanks for the reply tho,
Wayne F.

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