Korean Black Pine in training.

[bonhe]

Hi Adair M,
I like the double colander idea because when I am ready to transplant the tree to the pot, I just remove the tree from the 1st colander and the root shape is already there for me, especially if I place it in the round pot! Like I wrote, I rarely got a problem with double colander method.
However, when I got a bunch of JBP seedling few years ago, I did not use double colander method any more. The reason is that my garden ran out of space! Double colanders took a lot of spaces. In a few years, I can let you know what is advantages and disadvantages of double colander vs. regular pot training.
Bonhe

 

[Adair M]

I have no issue with single colanders. It's the double colanders technique that's flawed.

Remember the author of the original article was growing Shohin bonsai. He was willing to sacrifice maximum root growth (and also top growth) to be able to have a compact root ball.

My friends who have tried the double colander thing have stopped using it. Instead, they remove the first colander and up pot to a larger one.

 

[bonhe]

Remember the author of the original article was growing Shohin bonsai. He was willing to sacrifice maximum root growth (and also top growth) to be able to have a compact root ball.

.

I was totally aware of this fact.
Bonhe

 

[Adair M]

I was totally aware of this fact.
Bonhe

Ok, so why double colander?

 

[bonhe]

Ok, so why double colander?

Easy answer. I don't want the big black pines!
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Those KBP are into growing season at this time.
One of them.


It is growing strong with 5 new shoots emerging in 2 cm branch length.


I like it because the needles coming out all the way from the base to the tip of the shoots. It will be ready for pruning in June.


The healing scar is in one of KBP.


Bonhe

 

[Adair M]

Looks like you have a lot of new shoots growing from needle buds. What pruning are you planning for June?

 

[bonhe]

Adair M, post:
Looks like you have a lot of new shoots growing from needle buds.
Yes.

What pruning are you planning for June?
It will depend on situation of those branches at that time. Let use below pic as example. I may remove 2 shoots in group A and cut short of shoots B1 - 3. My goal for those KBP is making them into the small bonsai.


Bonhe

 

[my nellie]

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and experiments.
Going through all the posts I am having a query :

* What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?
... ...can hold onto positively charged minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and essential trace elements around the root system and easily release them to the roots of the plants through hydrogen ion H + exchange. Besides that, fulvic acid also help transport the mineral through the cell membrane of the root and release them to the cell. If we only use chemical fertilizer, we can face serious problem in the long run such as "hard pan", root burn.

What is the purpose of using a combination (chemical & organic) instead of using organic alone?
Just for the record I use only organic. Slow release pellets along with kelp/fish emulsion.
Thank you in advance!

 

[bonhe]

Going through all the posts I am having a query : What is the purpose of using a combination (chemical & organic) instead of using organic alone?
Just for the record I use only organic. Slow release pellets along with kelp/fish emulsion.
Thank you in advance!

Thank you for asking.
Disadvantages of using organic fertilizer alone are:
- Many organic fertilizer lack of micronutrients. Chemical fertilizer will provide those (of course, we need to check content of fertilizer when we buy)
- Expensive.
- Time consuming.
Bonhe

 

[MichaelS]

I like the shape of this one bonhe, Is the first pic on post #86 the front?

 

[bonhe]

I like the shape of this one bonhe, Is the first pic on post #86 the front?

Thank you. I love to work with seedlings because they give me so many opportunities!
I think so, Mike.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Lot of flowers at this time!!!! I hate it!!

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I can not wait to put those pines into the bonsai pot!
Their sacrificed branches are growing long at this time. I will remove them in this fall.


Trunk bases




Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

This Fall, I transplanted quite a bit of KBP from double colanders to the pots. With double colanders, one can be struggled in removing the tree from the inside colander due to the roots escaped the colander through its side and bottom. To ease this process, I created the "banana peeling" method. I use the garden pruner to cut the colander from its rim down to the part connected the wall and the bottom, in 5 - 6 places.


Then rest the left palm (for right handed person) on the surface of the soil where I plan to peel off the colander wall. My right hand grabs on the colander wall between to cut lines, then peel the wall off the soil and root. It will easily come off . Sometimes, when it is hard to do that with the hand, I rest the back of the potting sickle blade inside of the wall, then push down. The wall should be easily come off. I repeat this action around the colander until all of the wall is off. That time, I can take the tree out of the colander's bottom without difficulty.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I just transplanted this one this morning. It has a lot of fine root inside the inner colander!


As usual, I use twine to stabilize the tree in the pot


Finish.


Bonhe

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Just my two cents.
KBP is the main branch of the family (no pun intended) which extends into China, Old Manchuria and up around into Far East Russia. The weather in these places is extreme and generally trees from the mainland have slower growth but more resistance to cold and typhoons.
Japan ( in the South anyway) tends to have milder winters and less severe typhoons. The trees from Japan are techinically a subspecies......
Just a slightly different batch of genetics.

Same goes for the KRP which range starts in China across Korea then into Japan ( subspecies) then down into Taiwan where it does a species name jump but is essentially the same with low cold resistance.

Hope this helps some folks which are confused.

PS: For you American folk, Mugo pines are quite closely related to and often behave similarly to KRP/ JRP and TRP. Although I do think KBP is a more feminine looking tree.

I prefer Red Pines as they have beautiful soft needles and are delicate looking. In Korea they arent veey popular though with most people wanting Black pine.....

 

[Adair M]

Mugo pines do not respond to decandling in the summer the way JRP does. I don’t think they’re related. They’re closer to Scots pines.

 

[BunjaeKorea]

Mugo pines do not respond to decandling in the summer the way JRP does. I don’t think they’re related. They’re closer to Scots pines.

That's true, they don't respond the same way, let me go back in that many of their requirements are the same- care wise.

 

[bonhe]

This Fall, I transplanted quite a bit of KBP from double colanders to the pots. With double colanders, one can be struggled in removing the tree from the inside colander due to the roots escaped the colander through its side and bottom. To ease this process, I created the "banana peeling" method. I use the garden pruner to cut the colander from its rim down to the part connected the wall and the bottom, in 5 - 6 places.
View attachment 171415 View attachment 171416

Then rest the left palm (for right handed person) on the surface of the soil where I plan to peel off the colander wall. My right hand grabs on the colander wall between to cut lines, then peel the wall off the soil and root. It will easily come off . Sometimes, when it is hard to do that with the hand, I rest the back of the potting sickle blade inside of the wall, then push down. The wall should be easily come off. I repeat this action around the colander until all of the wall is off. That time, I can take the tree out of the colander's bottom without difficulty.
Bonhe

I forgot to write this. Before I can perform "Banana peeling", I have to use the pruners to cut the roots which is out of the inside colander, up to the wall and bottom of colander; then do "Banana peeling"
Bonhe