Nate's JBP Projects

[NateDyk47]

I currently have 4 small JBP I'm growing out. I bought seedling cuttings from @cmeg1 in August 2022. I'm going to post their progress together for now. I have plans to add more at some point; those will be tracked here too.

Hopefully these are interesting enough some day to warrant their own threads.

 

[NateDyk47]

As received in stonewool blocks 8/2022:



I potted them up in 5.5" terracotta pots in a mix of pumice, lava, and bark chips:



I kept them in a shady spot for a couple weeks, then moved to full sun and left to grow for the remainder of the year.

 

[NateDyk47]

I did my first ever decandling in 6/2023. I didn't really know what I was doing, and kind of just experimented with what I removed. In retrospect, I removed some tiny candles from low branches that I should've just left alone to make sure they survive. I also wanted to see what the response was when I removed the main leader, removed all but 1 of the candles on the sacrifice branch, and left all the candles on the sacrifice on one of them.



I waited a couple weeks after decandling to fertilize with Osmocote 15-9-12, and otherwise left them to grow in full sun the rest of the year.

 

[NateDyk47]

I can't find any pictures from later in 2023, but they appeared healthy and grew vigorously.

I repotted them last weekend, 3/3/2024. They had huge mats of roots and had even sent some through the bottom of the pot. I planted 2 in pond baskets and 2 in knockoff Anderson flats.



They're out in the sun now, but will be shuffled back into the shed when we get freezing temps overnight.

 

[misfit11]

I would have left the candle on that apical leader. That is what you let run to thicken the base. This is if you are intending to grow a shohin or even larger tree at this stage. That should be your sacrifice. You let it grow until the base is getting to be the size you want, and then you cut it off.

I'm not even sure you should have cut candles on those lower branches yet. I probably would have waited another year to begin those.

What I would I would do at this stage, is put more movement into the trunk. Twist it more. Watch Eric Schraders videos on young pine development.

Candling at that stage set you back in development. No worries though. This year I would let that apical leader run unchecked. Let it do so for a few years. There may be a point when you cut it because it is robbing resources from the rest of the tree. At this point, you just start a new apical sacrifice.

Hope this helps.

Cory

 

[cmeg1]

Yep that was just what I was going to say. Eric Schrader gives good pictorials on this early development.p

 

[NateDyk47]

I would have left the candle on that apical leader. That is what you let run to thicken the base. This is if you are intending to grow a shohin or even larger tree at this stage. That should be your sacrifice. You let it grow until the base is getting to be the size you want, and then you cut it off.

I'm not even sure you should have cut candles on those lower branches yet. I probably would have waited another year to begin those.

What I would I would do at this stage, is put more movement into the trunk. Twist it more. Watch Eric Schraders videos on young pine development.

Candling at that stage set you back in development. No worries though. This year I would let that apical leader run unchecked. Let it do so for a few years. There may be a point when you cut it because it is robbing resources from the rest of the tree. At this point, you just start a new apical sacrifice.

Hope this helps.

Cory

Cory, I appreciate the guidance. 2023 was my first summer doing bonsai and I would definitely do things differently with what I know now. I watched a lot of Eric's videos prior to doing this work.

I twisted them as much as I dared... they're over 1/2" thick. I may still end up trying to make the bends more significant.

 

[AnacortesSteve]

I cut the needles on mine where I would like more buds/branching, pluck in areas like on the sacrifice where I don't want buds. I cut the needs too in the final tree area to get light in there, no light = no buds. If you have a lower sacrifice, I wire it sideways and pluck it in the final tree area so that it doesn't block the sun. When they are young it's the easiest to get buds since it hasn't barked up yet.