Timing

FredL

Well, it appears that I've about finished any collecting I will do this Spring. Maybe just one more trip to collect some beautiful large Honeysuckle vines (Lonicera Japonica) that were left exposed after the area under some new power lines that were put up in our area was worked over by the trimmer guys. This is a species I've long been intrigued by, especially after I saw one featured in "Bonsai Today" that was really exquisite. John Naka's "Bonsai Techniques II has a very interesting approach to working with this species.

Anyway, it seems that the moment of truth has arrived; time for the wire to hit the bark, as it were. Time for me to begin actually working with some of the material I gathered last year. And time for a new "techniques discussion"!

OK, I have 4 Short Leaf Pines (Pinus echinata) that I collected last Spring that are not mature enough to go into bonsai pots. Theyare abot 2 feet or so in height and are in Clay pots. I plan to let them stay in the pots they're in for this year, then put them into grow boxes next Spring. They are very healthy; in alot better condition than when I collected them last Spring. I read in this forum that it takes a year for a pine to establish itself and it will grow alot more strongly its second year, so I don't want to disturb their roots this year.

I am planning to work only on their trunks this year, wiring or cutting them back and wiring a new leader as appropriate. I will pinch back their candles around July, severely on top and less so on lower branches. I may do some pruning of upper branches at that time. This species buds back very well, especially for a pine. I will not do any wiring of branches. This will wait until they actually go into bonsai pots. I'll work on the branches to try to make them more compact and less "limby".

I have 3 others also collected at the same time. One is pretty big and seems like it will be an excellent"Literati". It clearly needs another year, maybe two, of being left alone to recover from being collected. It came up with very little roots; I was amazed it survived, but is now doing very well. The other two were pretty small and came up with other trees. I'll let them continue to grow for another 2 or 3 years before worrying much about them.

I'd appreciate any and all comments. I think that I should probably give priority to getting my new digital camera into action and sending in some pictures. But I would appreciate comments on my general strategy with these trees.

Fred

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bnsaijim

Fred,

Sounds like you understand the strategy for working pine- work according to what your tree tells you, not the calendar...

This species has not received much specific attention. Not sure if you would think of it in a black pine or white pine frameset.

Some thoughts-

Feed well.

There are some techniques (like 20) in Dan Barton's "Bonsai Book" for getting bud-back and controlling growth. Definitely worth trying to find.

My biggest battle with potensai always seems to be keeping growth balanced. The top gets too strong at the ultimate expense of lower and more desirable branches. Takes some effort in balancing needle growth, etc. Keep this in mind as you work.

Sincerely,

Jim
TX

FredL

Thanks for your comments, Jim. You frequently have some very good imputs.

These trees remind me very much of Japanese Red Pines (can't think of the Latin name) which I'd say is a lot more like a Black Pine than a White Pine. They appear to me to be an absolutely terrific species for Bonsai culture. I found a huge stand of them on a rather barren, limestone hillside near my home which appears to be utilized mainly for ATVers and dumping everything from beer cans to old refrigerators. There must be 300 of them, I guss from 2 to 20 or more years old, mostly severely dwarfed by the very shallow soil over a limestone substrate. They come up very easily and all 7 that I collected last Spring are doing great. I've done nothing with them so far but try to teach them to live in pots. I repotted 2 this Spring and was very encouraged by how the root systems are developing.

It's pretty amazing how many collectable trees you see once you develop a "Bonsai eye". When I started in this area 18 months ago, I was at a loss as to how to start. Now I see so much potential material its hard to slow down and concentrate on only the best. I feel kind of a commitment to what I've already collected now and want to concentrate on developing it rather than more collecting.

I did go back and get 9 more of these wonderful trees last week, however.

Thanks again, Fred