Korean Black Pine in training.

[bonhe]

I create this post to show you my collection of Korean black pine (KBP). I hope it could make everyone especially young people will love to make their bonsai from the seedling. It trained me well in patience and love with the plants; besides it helped me not only practice wiring technique, but understand physiology and pathology as well.

Those seedlings are 8 years old. My friend gave me the seedlings 7 years ago. They have been in colanders at first, then most of them were put into the 2nd colander. Few of them were transferred to clay orchid and plastic pots. At this time I still have 29 trees after I gave away some and lost some!

They were wired quite well when they were 2-3 years old! Hehe, it looks as same as the parents try to teach their children when they are still young, doesn't it? Then I removed the wires. From that time, the training has been mostly "pick and choose" to change direction of the trunk line!


The sacrificed branch will be removed in this winter.


The upper trunk line.


Where the "pick and choose" is.


Bonhe

 

[Thomas J.]

So are these pictures of trees that are 8yrs old or were they taken sometime during the training period?

 

[bonhe]

Sorry, let me clarify. Those pictures were taken yesterday morning and all of my KBP are 8 yo now.
Bonhe

 

[aml1014]

There are so many out there who discourage growing from seed but I've been doing it each year since I started 3 years ago and I'm happy with my outcomes, if I have to many it's easy to sell the extra.

Aaron

 

[bonhe]

You are correct Aaron!
Bonhe

 

[Potawatomi13]

Love started movement. Great to start with little limber trees.

 

[Thomas J.]

Hmm, after 8yrs in colanders I would think the trunk would be a lot thicker. Did you just let them grow or did you do some candle pruning during that time? How many more do you have and do they all have the same thickness?

 

[sorce]

discourage growing from seed

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb

Read that the other day.

Sorce

 

[Thomas J.]

Yep I took the advice of the Chinese proverb almost 3yrs ago and now I have some nice trees in the making. This pic shows the tree at 2 1/2 yrs of age. I decided to go the radical route with all of the seedlings wiring them up at one year of age.

 

[bonhe]

Hmm, after 8yrs in colanders I would think the trunk would be a lot thicker. Did you just let them grow or did you do some candle pruning during that time? How many more do you have and do they all have the same thickness?

Like I said, those KBP are "pick and choose" means "Cut and grow" method. It is why the trunk is not big. I am aiming to the small literati pines. Some of them is bigger than this, some is smaller.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

All of my KBP have elongated candles at this time. I won't touch them until the new needles are adult.
These two were taken the pictures yesterday. They have been trained for root over rock style since 2009. They are still in one gallon pots.

One


Two

I like this one for its trunk shape. It looks like the beautiful lady riding the horse!


The bark!!


I think I know how to make the pine barks rough up now, but still need more time to confirm it.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This is another KBP aimed for small literati!


I have 2 branches to work with at this time. I will wait until the new needles are fully grown.


Bonhe

 

[0soyoung]

I think I know how to make the pine barks rough up now, but still need more time to confirm it.

How about sharing your hypothesis?
Maybe I, as one interested BNutter, can do something with my pines that may help to confirm/refute what you suspect.

 

[bonhe]

How about sharing your hypothesis?
Maybe I, as one interested BNutter, can do something with my pines that may help to confirm/refute what you suspect.

Alright, because you said so!
The sunlight and water can affect to the bark characteristics. The bark is relatively similar to the human skin. Human skin can be tremendously affected by the sunlight, environmental humidity, the water quality! I think the dermatologists will agree with me When you know that, you can apply environmental factors to the tree. I hope it makes sense!
Bonhe

 

[just.wing.it]

I have to ask you about the double colander....
Why? And have you had some success with 2 colanders that you wouldn't have had with just one?

 

[bonhe]

I have to ask you about the double colander....
Why? And have you had some success with 2 colanders that you wouldn't have had with just one?

This question was answered by lot of member on this forum.
When the roots come out from the 1st colander, instead of letting those roots keep growing into the soil beneath the colander, I put the 1st one into the 2nd colander. By doing that, I can avoid disturbing the growth progression and rotate the colander once a while (at least 1-2 more year until the root starts growing out at the bottom of 2nd colander). When the time of transplanting the tree to the pot, it will be very easy with double colander. I just use the scissors to cut the root in where it barely escaped the 1st colander wall, then I can easily pull the tree out of the 1st colander. Then with few more strokes, the tree is ready to be placed in the new pot with its flat bottom (from the shape of the 1st colander bottom). Easy!
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Two trees in this post were taken the pictures this morning




Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Another


Patina !


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Another


The surface rootage goes to different direction with the trunk line. Make sense!


There are 3 shoots come out from the same area. Needle cast!


One will be removed and other two will be cut down to the red lines


Bonhe

 

[Adair M]

This question was answered by lot of member on this forum.
When the roots come out from the 1st colander, instead of letting those roots keep growing into the soil beneath the colander, I put the 1st one into the 2nd colander. By doing that, I can avoid disturbing the growth progression and rotate the colander once a while (at least 1-2 more year until the root starts growing out at the bottom of 2nd colander). When the time of transplanting the tree to the pot, it will be very easy with double colander. I just use the scissors to cut the root in where it barely escaped the 1st colander wall, then I can easily pull the tree out of the 1st colander. Then with few more strokes, the tree is ready to be placed in the new pot with its flat bottom (from the shape of the 1st colander bottom). Easy!
Bonhe

Bonhe,

Have you ever done the "use scissors to cut the root in where it barely escaped the 1st colander wall" process?

The reason I ask us my friends who have done the double colander thing tell me that the roots swell as they get constructed passing thru the holes of the first colander. They bulge up on both sides. The first colander won't just easily pull off.

Then again, it appears you twist the first colander when it's in the larger one? Is that what you mean by rotate? That would break the small roots passing thru the first into the second, right? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the second colander? It would prevent the soil close to the edge of the first colander from drying out as quickly. But, heck, I think if that's your goal at that point, just take it out of the colander and stick it in a similiar sized training pot!

I'm being honest here, I admire your experiment, but the results are showing far less growth than I've seen others achieve in the same (or less) amount of time. Using just straight single colanders!