dirk hoorelbeke
Omono
Some history:
The previous owner bought the tree from a bonsai store in 2010. I bought it from this guy in February 2014. By that time the tree had lots of brown needles and lost some of the bigger branches. The tree was placed on the roof 2 meters high to be out of the way and not looked after. The weeds in the pot were drying out so it was obvious to me the tree was neglected big time. It was late winter and the few buds it had where looking viable. Since "corticosa" pines are not that easy to find and since the health was low i was able to purchase it for a reasonable price. The first issue would be to bring this one back to health. The tree was loose in the pot, soil medium was not draining at all, but bone dry at the beginning. It took me more than 1 hour to saturate. After that i did not water for 2 months. At the end of march 2014 i did a repot in akkadama / bims. The only roots that were alive on the tree where under the trunk in the old black nursery soil from some decades ago. It was the only place where the conditions were right to survive. So i could have put this one in a shohin pot at once... The tree is 65cm high (25,5 inch).
I left it alone till fall 2014 and then removed all the dead needles and thinned some needles to start the balancing act. I wired the branches to let light and air in the tree.
I will let the tree grow for this year and try to maximize health. At this point the candles are growing bigger and backbudding is occurring, so i think this one is on the good way. Styling is not important for the moment. I have read the cork bark japanese black pine compilation of Brian Van Fleet, but couldn't make out what cultivar it is. Does someone have an idea?
It has 3-wing cork, and i guess red buds, but i find it difficult to tell the difference with white...
First image: 2010
Januari 2015
I guess this one is on it's own roots. I will check again in a few years...
Thanks for your thoughts.
Dirk
The previous owner bought the tree from a bonsai store in 2010. I bought it from this guy in February 2014. By that time the tree had lots of brown needles and lost some of the bigger branches. The tree was placed on the roof 2 meters high to be out of the way and not looked after. The weeds in the pot were drying out so it was obvious to me the tree was neglected big time. It was late winter and the few buds it had where looking viable. Since "corticosa" pines are not that easy to find and since the health was low i was able to purchase it for a reasonable price. The first issue would be to bring this one back to health. The tree was loose in the pot, soil medium was not draining at all, but bone dry at the beginning. It took me more than 1 hour to saturate. After that i did not water for 2 months. At the end of march 2014 i did a repot in akkadama / bims. The only roots that were alive on the tree where under the trunk in the old black nursery soil from some decades ago. It was the only place where the conditions were right to survive. So i could have put this one in a shohin pot at once... The tree is 65cm high (25,5 inch).
I left it alone till fall 2014 and then removed all the dead needles and thinned some needles to start the balancing act. I wired the branches to let light and air in the tree.
I will let the tree grow for this year and try to maximize health. At this point the candles are growing bigger and backbudding is occurring, so i think this one is on the good way. Styling is not important for the moment. I have read the cork bark japanese black pine compilation of Brian Van Fleet, but couldn't make out what cultivar it is. Does someone have an idea?
It has 3-wing cork, and i guess red buds, but i find it difficult to tell the difference with white...
First image: 2010
Januari 2015
I guess this one is on it's own roots. I will check again in a few years...
Thanks for your thoughts.
Dirk