Pinion Pine Trip

EarthgirlOK

Here are some pics of the trip I took with my buddy George and his wife Debbie.

We dug six trees all together. George went for quality and spent his time on two exceptional trees. I went for quantity and got four trees. A couple of them are fairly good trees, and the other two are for practice and sentimental reasons.

In most cases we were digging in rock. We had permission from two land owners in the area, and were allowed to chip away at the rock. Since it is fairly brittle and gives way to chisels, it wasn't as impossible as you might think.

There were some amazing trees, however, that were impossible to collect, because the roots went straight down, probably twenty feet or more.

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EarthgirlOK

As an experiment, I am growing one in the ground, two in terra cotta pots, and one in a big black bucket. The two in terra cotta are placed in full to partial sun, as is the one in the ground. The big one in the bucket is currently on the patio in shade.

I water these as rarely as I can. Some pinions live on less than 12 inches of rain a year.

On the bushiest ones, I removed half of the foliage.

THe tree that is in the ground had little to no feeder roots. It was growing on a gravelly cliff, and moved easily when I tilted it. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake. It wasn't. Its roots shot back into the cliff and snaked their way underneath shelves of rock. Once those were removed, the roots kept going. By now, I had done enough that I had to decide to take it or leave it there to suffer from my hastiness. So, probably against better judgement, I cut it loose, wrapped it in a trash bag, and watered the roots. It was basically bare-rooted. Note to self? Never do that again, you silly snigget.

These were all collected on February 24th. So far, so good. We'll see.

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EarthgirlOK

Nevermind the unsightly wiring job. These had travelled for about eight hours with minimal soil and just a little water.

By the time I got home I was tired and still had four trees to pot. Next time, I'll have the pots ready and waiting for me when I get home.

Note to self; don't dig more trees than you can find room for!!!

Of course, it's wayyyy to early to think about any styling or what position these trees will end up in in their pots. First, I have to see which ones live, how much foliage survives, and if they do well in my climate.

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Ralph

Hey Michelle,

What region did you go hunting for these beauties? Good luck to you and keep us updated. I think pinions are becoming quite popular for bonsai in the southwest.

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EarthgirlOK

In the Oklahoma Panhandle, and just across the border. There really isn't very much in print about them anywhere.

I have only found one article about them in Bosai Today #91. The same tree was on a website I found (can't remember where).

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Vance Wood

In envy you, Pinions are very good trees. Please don't think I am trying to tell you what to do, but please make sure you do not get impatient with them. Give them at least three full growing seasons before you do anything with them. #38 on your first set of photos is the oldest and most valuabel of the bunch. The others are quite young as you can tell by the length of growth, the color and texture of the bark.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

EarthgirlOK

Thanks Vance; I always appreciate your input, especially when it comes to pines! And, I will take it to heart. I had planned on giving them a year to recover, then I was going to "evaluate their progress..." So I'm glad to have your tips before I killed em dead.

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pootsie

Great stuff, Earthgrrl! Good luck with those, and keep us posted!

pootsie

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Vance Wood

Pines, especially that old one, #38, need at least three growing seasons to establish a new root system. The other trees as I pointed out are fairly young and you might get away with two, but that old dude could take five. Don't be in a hurry with it let it tell you when it is ready----any time after the first three growing seasons.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa