Best solution to repot a bare rooted White Pine from Japan.

[Jose Fonseca]

Hi Bonsai Family,

I have heard many people mention that white pines bare rooted from Japan can be very difficult to recover and gain health. If anyone in this group has had success doing this. Please share your environment and steps you took to make sure it has 100% success rate. I know it has worked for some people; due to seeing imported white pines videos on YouTube.

I am located in Chicago and will be receiving it in late Feb/early March. Please share any insight you may have. Thanks in advance.

 

[chicago1980]

Have you reached out to hidden garden, maybe in the tropical house.

It may be worth reaching out to Bjorn.

 

[BrightsideB]

Hey! Thanks for posting! Bare rooted from Japan? So this is a bonsai being shipped from Japan bare rooted? How old is it? I’ve only heard of them being shipped already in containers. And then acclimating to there new home before a repot. Maybe teasing the roots a little during spring.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Just the idea of bare root pine seems scary.
For seedlings/saplings, yeah sure, but for pre bonsai? Seems scary. On the other hand, With the adequate environment for recovery, it’s totally doable.

 

[penumbra]

Just the idea of bare root pine seems scary.

I concur.

 

[BrightsideB]

In my comment I was speaking on behalf of white pines. It’s obvious many tree’s bare root fine. If the pine is very healthy and the aftercare is right it seems very possible.

 

[Scorpius]

Hit up New England Bonsai Gardens. They import regularly it seems. I have one of their imported JWP and it's doing great.

 

[Paradox]

Hit up New England Bonsai Gardens. They import regularly it seems. I have one of their imported JWP and it's doing great.

They typically pot the trees and let them recover for a period of time (at least a year for pines iirc) before they even offer them for sale to make sure they have made it through the process.
I think there may be more time required for quarantine depending on where they came from.

To the OP: good on you for asking these questions well before the tree gets here but be aware that bare rooting and shipping a pine can be very stressful for the tree.
Even under the best circumstances and the best care, a lot will die. This is one of the reasons the prices are so high on imported trees.

 

[Jose Fonseca]

Thanks Everyone,

The tree was grown for bonsai and it seems old due to the trunk size being around 5-6" and has cracked bark all the way up the tree. It is also not grafted which probably makes it slightly harder to recover. I chatted with a few people that have had success with importing them into USA. They mentioned it is risky as many of you mentioned. I am aware that it is possible that it might be too stressed out to recover. Here are some tips I have been told from the people that have imported them successfully.

Just so I add the context here. The White Pine is being imported from Japan and was grown to be a bonsai and in order for the tree to pass inspections it has to be bare rooted and wrapped in sphagnum moss. So my only option is to repot it as soon as I get it. Pines survive off mycorrhizal and this being bare rooted seems like a good idea to add some in.

Step 1: Prepare soil mix 1-1-1 (Akadama/Pumice/Lava) in pot
Step 2: Remove as much sphagnum moss off the tree
Step 3: Place roots in water and then take it out and sprinkle mycorrhizal on roots and on soil
Step 4: Place roots in pot and work them in make sure you do not have any air pockets.
Step 5: After repotting the tree place it on a heat pad to keep the roots warm and mist about 5 times a day.

Continue misting threw out the year and allow the tree to recover. So far this is the information I have collected and hoping this works. Sounds like a bonsai hospital.

 

[jonfromchicago]

Thanks Everyone,

The tree was grown for bonsai and it seems old due to the trunk size being around 5-6" and has cracked bark all the way up the tree. It is also not grafted which probably makes it slightly harder to recover. I chatted with a few people that have had success with importing them into USA. They mentioned it is risky as many of you mentioned. I am aware that it is possible that it might be too stressed out to recover. Here are some tips I have been told from the people that have imported them successfully.

Just so I add the context here. The White Pine is being imported from Japan and was grown to be a bonsai and in order for the tree to pass inspections it has to be bare rooted and wrapped in sphagnum moss. So my only option is to repot it as soon as I get it. Pines survive off mycorrhizal and this being bare rooted seems like a good idea to add some in.

Step 1: Prepare soil mix 1-1-1 (Akadama/Pumice/Lava) in pot
Step 2: Remove as much sphagnum moss off the tree
Step 3: Place roots in water and then take it out and sprinkle mycorrhizal on roots and on soil
Step 4: Place roots in pot and work them in make sure you do not have any air pockets.
Step 5: After repotting the tree place it on a heat pad to keep the roots warm and mist about 5 times a day.

Continue misting threw out the year and allow the tree to recover. So far this is the information I have collected and hoping this works. Sounds like a bonsai hospital.

Seems like a good plan and let's hope for the best. Update us in the future on how it turned out for you.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Pines survive off mycorrhizal and this being bare rooted seems like a good idea to add some in.

It could help but it also can do very little if it's not the right species of fungi.
You can, if you want, pre-start your soil so that the spores have germinated already and are looking for a host. On average, spores take about 11 days to germinate.
So maybe it's good to activate those spores 20 days in advance. They'll survive in the soil particles as long as they are damp.
I'm not saying it'll work a 100%, but it'll work better than waiting for the last moment.

 

[Jose Fonseca]

It could help but it also can do very little if it's not the right species of fungi.
You can, if you want, pre-start your soil so that the spores have germinated already and are looking for a host. On average, spores take about 11 days to germinate.
So maybe it's good to activate those spores 20 days in advance. They'll survive in the soil particles as long as they are damp.
I'm not saying it'll work a 100%, but it'll work better than waiting for the last moment.

This is a good point. Pine’s usually use ectomycorrhizas so the mycorrhiza has to be the right type. The time it takes mycorrhiza to activate is something I did not think of. I will plan to start this asap and hope it will be ready when the tree comes in. I will also add it to the roots when I get it and hope the active and the one I apply to roots cover all grounds.

Appreciate this info. Thanks!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I've also been reading a lot on laboratory practices for pine shoots that are grown in vitro (test tubes). It seems they all benefit from the addition of activated charcoal.
Activated charcoal takes up the nasties that plants leech into the soil when they're damaged.

Again, not sure if that translates well to a pot. But a light application did improve my own pines color over the winter. There might be some stress reductive properties.

If you have the time, you can search in scholar.google.com for "charcoal pinus in vitro". The literature tells me that there's a slight increase in succesful rooting of older plant material with charcoal added to the culture medium.

 

[Shibui]

Pines survive off mycorrhizal and this being bare rooted seems like a good idea to add some in

Not quite true that pines need mycorrhiza to survive. Pines do use mych to help obtain nutrients in poor or difficult soils but Their roots are still capable of obtaining available nutrients from soil so when nutrients are readily available there's no need for the fungi.
Normally there's enough fungi on the roots of transplanted (even bare root) pines to recolonize the new soil but quarantine treatment should probably have killed off fungi. I have also noted that mycorrhiza seems to rapidly move into new pots even when I don't introduce it. By the time I transplant seedlings there's already plenty of myc in the soil. If conditions are right it will come. If conditions are unsuitable no amount of inoculation will make it stick.
Adding mycorrhiza is not likely to cause a problem so go ahead if you so desire. Just don't pin all hopes on the fungi treatment and forget about normal aftercare - water, etc.

I routinely bare root JBP from the grow beds here and transfer to pots for sale. Pines take longer to recover than most broadleaf species. I don't consider JBP transplant successful until after mid summer. Spring growth is a good sign but not definitive proof of successful transplant.

One key point seems to be leave at least some branch tips intact to provide stimulus for root growth so I would recommend not pruning yours before potting up.
Second key to survival after transplant is not letting them get dry. Definitely not too wet but don't allow the soil to dry either.

All the best with your white pine when it arrives.

 

[leatherback]

Go out, get yourself some young white pines growing locally, and plant these into the pot with the imported tree OR find a nursery that is willing to give you a slice of an established white pine in your region.

If you buy spores, make sure you go to a dealer that knows what they are doing. Old baggies that have sat in the sun will not help you at all.

In general, I would treat the tree as a recently collected tree, where you need to make sure you provide the right microclimate. I do not know; Could imagine humid air, and bland light. Imported Yamadori from Sweden in the nursery I frequent always go in a dimmed greenhouse with frequent soaking to keep humidity very high while th tree establishes itself.

As for pre-germinating the spores.. Be carefull that you do not do this too early. They do need the host to survive more than a week or two, if I am not mistaken.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Please show us pictures of the tree when it arrives.
I've been thinking of importing trees that way myself but the bare root part in combination with the shipping time scares me.

 

[Bob Hunter]

When I bought mine in 1985 there was a 40' truck load of jwp bare rooted being delivered I bought 5 of them. I didn't do anything special and they didn't skip a beat.

Comb out the roots and wire in to the pot use boon mix.

Did you get this off a web site?

 

[R0b]

On the topic of Mycorrhiza listen to this

Podcast by Mirai on this topic not saying it will save your tree but help your understanding on a healthy root system. I listened to it yesterday while starting sceptical it was a good story.

My take will be that mycorrhiza will still be present on the root system. The charcoal/bio char topic is also covered and the conclusion there was it’s effect is depending on the quality. Sea weed / kelp extract might be something to consider but again quality varies. No experience with any of the products mentioned but their story is good (more than just marketing).

 

[Jose Fonseca]

Thanks for all the response.

I will share pictures with the group once I receive it. The group brought up some good points here I want to make sure I highlight. Not all mycorrhiza you buy is good as mentioned. Some stores keep it on the self for a long time and many of the stores environment if gets to hot might reduce the activity of it. I did buy it from a local company I was able to call and pick it up from company that produced in December. The best mycorrhizal is using the one you get from your own pines or from local pines in your area; as they mentioned above.

I have been using active charcoal in my repotting for a couple years and plan to use it in this repot. I am not a specialist in this area but I love researching what people mention and reading the studies. I do love that podcast and thanks for sharing it.

As for where I bought the tree; I visited Japan with a person that has the knowledge and license to import. I had to pay for the tree, processing fees, importing fees, hotel, flight, transportation, translator, and food. This probably came out more then just buying the tree here from one of the local artist. It was an adventure and a risk buying the tree. If the tree for any reason gets halted during entry into USA if they find anything on it; they will burn it. Which means I lose all the money I spent on it no refunds.

 

[leatherback]

As for where I bought the tree; I visited Japan with a person that has the knowledge and license to import. I had to pay for the tree, processing fees, importing fees, hotel, flight, transportation, translator, and food. This probably came out more then just buying the tree here from one of the local artist. It was an adventure and a risk buying the tree. If the tree for any reason gets halted during entry into USA if they find anything on it; they will burn it. Which means I lose all the money I spent on it no refunds.

I hope you just happened to be visiting Japan and fell in love with a tree and on a whim decided to buy the tree. If this was a trip-with-intent-to-buy, it sounds like you spent 3-5K for a pine, of which you do not know how to get it established once it arrives..