A big pine

[Dav4]

Fall finally arrived here this week with lots of rain to break our drought and finally some seasonally cold temps and even some snow. Anyway, time to move things to their overwintering spot. I wanted to take pictures of some of the trees as they got moved into the cold room, but this one almost killed me since the soil was so wet (looking forward to downsizing the pot here!) In this picture, I'm splitting the difference between the two fronts on the left... bound to change my mind again .


Anyway, I moved it to the bench, then studied the picture. With the foliage wired down, I thought that straight section of trunk in the apex needed something... so it got it via some left over 16 gauge wire and a DeWalt trigger clamp. We'll see how this ages in 6-8 months.
(PS- there was no way I was going to put this one back on the pedestal for the beauty pick)

 

[Dav4]

I knew this tree needed a rectangular pot, I had this Sarah Rayner pot on the shelf. Anyway, my back hurts now but the pot/tree pairing isn’t bad.

 

[Joelshack2362]

Awesome job so far, the progession is coming along great.

 

[crab apple]

I would really love to know how you got from the first pic to the second pic. An hour or more with a root hook or a saw? I'm only about 4 years into my bonsai journey and I'm having trouble with this part

 

[Dav4]

I would really love to know how you got from the first pic to the second pic. An hour or more with a root hook or a saw? I'm only about 4 years into my bonsai journey and I'm having trouble with this part

Maybe a bit less than 90 minutes, using only a chopstick and tweezers to remove soil. It’s not difficult but I take my time to try and preserve some of the superficial finer roots

 

[crab apple]

Maybe a bit less than 90 minutes, using only a chopstick and tweezers to remove soil. It’s not difficult but I take my time to try and preserve some of the superficial finer roots

Thanks, that does help a lot

 

[Shogun610]

I definitely like the front .. looking forward to how you build the apex

 

[Dav4]

Definitely lighter in the Rayner pot, probably by 10 pounds. Still a beast to move but worth it on a beautiful morning such as this.

 

[misfit11]

This is developing beautifully, Dave. I definitely like this front better than the original. The scar was too front and center and distracting. The base is now the focus as it should be. Are you still considering adding root grafts at some point? I think the base could really benefit with a few.

 

[Dav4]

This is developing beautifully, Dave. I definitely like this front better than the original. The scar was too front and center and distracting. The base is now the focus as it should be. Are you still considering adding root grafts at some point? I think the base could really benefit with a few.

Right now, no root grafts are planned. I've never been successful approach grafting JBP seedlings and I stopped starting JBP seeds when I left GA so no root stock to use right now. I may try to induce some new roots to grow just below soil level, but probably next spring.

 

[Adamski77]

I may try to induce some new roots to grow just below soil level, but probably next spring.

Dave... how do you do that? What's the process?

 

[JudyB]

Looks like a great new angle for this guy and a good pot pairing! It's one of those that if you didn't know it was a hulk, looks like a medium sized tree now with the pot that fits it.

 

[bwaynef]

Dave... how do you do that? What's the process?

Dave's technique may be different, but after you understand how layering works, it can be implemented in lots of scenarios. In its simplest form, I'll take my scissors and poke the trunk where I want roots. Maybe poke and twist. Treat it with hormone. If its not buried deep enough to maintain enough moisture to induce rooting, cover it with sphagnum moss.

Some old Bonsai Today magazines have guides for airlayering conifers where instead of removing a ring, windows are cut in the bark. My idea above is a simplification of that.

 

[Adamski77]

Dave's technique may be different, but after you understand how layering works, it can be implemented in lots of scenarios. In its simplest form, I'll take my scissors and poke the trunk where I want roots. Maybe poke and twist. Treat it with hormone. If its not buried deep enough to maintain enough moisture to induce rooting, cover it with sphagnum moss.

Some old Bonsai Today magazines have guides for airlayering conifers where instead of removing a ring, windows are cut in the bark. My idea above is a simplification of that.

Thank you... heard that method with respect to deciduous trees... new to me on conifers. The 'poke' is down to hard wood or more to scratch/damage the cambium only?

 

[Dav4]

Thank you... heard that method with respect to deciduous trees... new to me on conifers. The 'poke' is down to hard wood or more to scratch/damage the cambium only?

My plan would be to cut or scrape small windows into the trunk just below soil line, paint with root powder, add some sphagnum moss, then cover with soil.

 

[Adamski77]

super helpful... thank you

 

[Dav4]

For the last 4-5 weeks, every time I was in the garden with my shears, I’d stop in front of this one and struggle to not have a go at the big, fat candles pushing but stayed my hand (I think I might have briefly blacked out once from the strain and removed some uber vigorous candles , but the vast majority of new growth remains and the window for de-candling has past).

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looking good man! Remarkable restraint, it’s tough. Had to do that with a couple partly-decandled JBP last year.

 

[Don Blackmond]

you are doing wonders with it