This Hachi-Gen was one of about 8 cultivars I worked with. I bought it because it was cutting-grown. It came from Brent Walston's Evergreen Gardenworks. Here is the description from his catalog:
Pinus thunbergii 'Hachi Gen' (Cork Bark Black Pine) We obtained this cultivar from Ken Sugimoto...
This trident was dug today. It has been in the ground most of 10 years, and I've been eyeing it for a sumo-shohin. It might be too big for my plan, but we'll see how things go of the next few years. It's going to need a lot of root work to get there.
My entry for the big PP contest: :D
A new pickup...
Yesterday I introduced some Shari, reduced the jins a bit, and repotted it into some fresh soil and an old Bigei pot.
This year, I'll pull in the apex a little, get the primary branches twisted up some more, and let it grow!
Al...I'd appreciate your thoughts on the next move for this trident in the ground. The horizontal chop is 5" above the soil, and this photo is the approximate front. The goal is true shohin, so it will sit another .75" higher in a pot.
Would you cut that short, straight 2nd section and try...