Cork Bark Black Pine

[gapoy]

Hello guys!

£70 for this cork bark, do you think it's a good deal?

If not, how would you pick a cork bark bonsai?

Do you think it's a good time (autumn) to be buying bonsai?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Hello guys!

£70 for this cork bark, do you think it's a good deal?

Depends if tag is hiding bad ugly graft And tree too small for 70 pounds. Also suspect trunk hid by branches is straight boring stick.

If not, how would you pick a cork bark bonsai?

Would get bigger tree having more character and ground level graft if any.

Do you think it's a good time (autumn) to be buying bonsai?

ANY time is good to buy Bonsai.

View attachment 513544

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks like the tag is covering the part necessary to decide. You want to ensure the graft is low and inconspicuous.
Doesn’t matter when you buy a tree so long as you can care for it. Pines don’t last long inside, so it will need to be outside.

 

[gapoy]

I was actually thinking that this is the best trunk compared to the other trees on display. What do you guys think?

 

[Srt8madness]

I like the far right one (out of the 3)

price is great

 

[Mike Westervelt]

I think you picked the best one, assuming as previously stated there isn't an ugly graft union under the tag, price is fair if no surprises under the tag.

 

[roberthu]

I think the one on the right and the one on the left both look pretty good. I pay double that price to for something much less mature in the US. I'd buy both if I were you.
And autumn is probably the best time to buy a pine because it is the time the trees store up energy for the next season. Buy now, load them up with fertilizer and wait for the spring.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Are those sold at Herons Bonsai?
Looks like these trees are discounted quite a bit (from GBP 125 to GBP 69) as an end of season reduction.
Link: https://www.herons.co.uk/Pinus-thunbergii-Japanese-Black-Pine-QB

 

[roberthu]

Are those sold at Herons Bonsai?
Looks like these trees are discounted quite a bit (from GBP 125 to GBP 69) as an end of season reduction.
Link: https://www.herons.co.uk/Pinus-thunbergii-Japanese-Black-Pine-QB

WOW really good price!

 

[gapoy]

Are those sold at Herons Bonsai?
Looks like these trees are discounted quite a bit (from GBP 125 to GBP 69) as an end of season reduction.
Link: https://www.herons.co.uk/Pinus-thunbergii-Japanese-Black-Pine-QB

Hi yes that's right. Also, they announced on their website yesterday that they will have even more sale next week!

 

[gapoy]

I like the far right one (out of the 3)

price is great

I think you picked the best one, assuming as previously stated there isn't an ugly graft union under the tag, price is fair if no surprises under the tag.

I think the one on the right and the one on the left both look pretty good. I pay double that price to for something much less mature in the US. I'd buy both if I were you.
And autumn is probably the best time to buy a pine because it is the time the trees store up energy for the next season. Buy now, load them up with fertilizer and wait for the spring.

WOW really good price!

Looks like the tag is covering the part necessary to decide. You want to ensure the graft is low and inconspicuous.
Doesn’t matter when you buy a tree so long as you can care for it. Pines don’t last long inside, so it will need to be outside.

Thank you all for your feedback. I ended up getting the one on the left - it looks like it has more growth, and could possibly the healthiest. I am very new to bonsai so I would rather get the one that is least killable. For now.

 

[namnhi]

Paid then go home right away before they call the cop on you.... 70 is a steal.

 

[Gabler]

£70 for this cork bark, do you think it's a good deal?

tree too small for 70 pounds.

price is great

price is fair if no surprises under the tag.

I pay double that price to for something much less mature in the US.

Looks like these trees are discounted quite a bit (from GBP 125 to GBP 69) as an end of season reduction.

WOW really good price!

70 is a steal.

@Potawatomi13, where are you buying trees for so cheap?

 

[namnhi]

@Potawatomi13, where are you buying trees for so cheap?

Probably virtual tree or imagination tree.... They are free so any amount of money is too much. Nothing against Potawatomi but I remember there are many threads here that people wanted to see his trees but I never have seen a single tree posted.

 

[Apex37]

I’d be more concerned with caring for a cork bark JBP as a newbie in a place like London. I think your biggest struggle will be keeping the vigor up and keeping it disease free. Cork bark JBP tend to be less vigorous than regular JBP and like LOTS of sun and prefer a drier climate. Most growers only decandle once every 2 years, and all dependent on how it’s been growing. I’m not master on pines at all, but definitely look into care for them, buy a few books, and research threads here to get an idea of care going forward.

 

[gapoy]

I’d be more concerned with caring for a cork bark JBP as a newbie in a place like London. I think your biggest struggle will be keeping the vigor up and keeping it disease free. Cork bark JBP tend to be less vigorous than regular JBP and like LOTS of sun and prefer a drier climate. Most growers only decandle once every 2 years, and all dependent on how it’s been growing. I’m not master on pines at all, but definitely look into care for them, buy a few books, and research threads here to get an idea of care going forward.

Thank you for your insights.

I'm not going to do anything with it but let it grow and grow. When it is strong and bigger, I might do something but for now, repotting might not even be on the table.

Also, are books that important, or will the forums be adequate? Will you recommend some books for me?

 

[Apex37]

Also, are books that important, or will the forums be adequate? Will you recommend some books for me?

In this day and age, books aren’t absolutely essential to have, but there are many out there that are extremely valuable since it’s usually put in a concise, direct way. I’m currently reading through Growing Pines for Bonsai by Julian Adams, which has been an amazing resource as he breaks down the pine’s cycles, how to handle single-flush vs double-flush pines, what techniques to implement when, and just overall reasons for the techniques. I’m not sure if it’s available across the pond, but definitely recommend it. Bonsai Today has a Master Series for Pines book that might be more readily available. This is on my list to read next. Definitely recommend getting into a local bonsai club. You’ll find fewer resources more valuable than people in your area growing trees and sharing their experiences and expertise in YOUR climate. And of course, check out the hundreds of threads on here. This place is one of many invaluable resources at your disposal.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I haven’t found much in books on corkers. Old International Bonsai from 1979-1980 had good articles if you can find them. They’re long out of print. Internet is probably a better bet. Here are a few resources.

Articles About Bonsai

Search Results for “Cork black pine” – Nebari Bonsai

Brian's Bonsai Blog

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Corkbark JBP, Kyokko Yatsubusa

Some photos are around the forum on this, but no thread, so here's the development of this one since purchased from Don Blackmond in fall 2008. The backdrop here is a standard card table, for a bit of scale:

www.bonsainut.com

Corkbark JBP, 'Hachi Gen'

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...

www.bonsainut.com

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/corkbark-jbp-‘taihei’.38693/

 

[Maiden69]

Depends if tag is hiding bad ugly graft And tree too small for 70 pounds. Also suspect trunk hid by branches is straight boring stick.

I agree with the statement about what could be hiding behind the tag, but I don't think you are right about the price. Lesser trees sell for much more on the auctions, and smaller pre-bonsai trees as well from reputable sellers.

This is a very nice pre-bonsai, priced at $95, which is more than 70 GPB. JBP are built, but the base on that tree he first posted is worth much more than 70 pounds.

Mini Japanese Black Pine #3-3

Mini bonsai are known as Mame, "bean" in Japanese. With rugged bark and beautiful dark green needles, Japanese Black Pine is a prized bonsai species. This young mame bonsai can be trained further or you can follow an established JBP care cycle to maintain it. Mitunobu Ito pot about 3" diameter...

www.bonsaify.com

 

[Cruiser]

Nice buy. 70 pounds seems like a decent price.
I paid $90-150.00 a piece for my corkbarks. They are a bit more mature but not too much bigger than what you posted.