Peter Warren Japanese Black Pine

[MACH5]

I just wanted to echo what other posters have said. Thank you for your fantastic work and the time you devote to sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!

One thing that always impresses me about you is the patience you exercise in developing your material over time.

 

[fore]

I also so agree with you all, Brian has great talent, material, and on top of that, he's a really generous and kind hearted person.

What's your success rate on grafts Brian? Approach or threaded?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here are a few shots of a little weekend work. Still probably another three hours of work to get it ready for next year.

Before and after thinning out old needles, and some new needles. Notice how the tree still doesn't look plucked, although more than 40 shoots and likely the same quantity of individual needles were removed.

Before:

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

These photos are loading backwards....trying again.

After, and some of the shoots removed. Many of the terminals had multiple shoots, and were reduced to pairs.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Pushing growth closer to the trunk.

...Or if they're inserted backwards, how to install extra shoots with concave cutters.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

Brian,
Are you doing this work now or are these photos from some time in the past? By that I mean are you cutting branches that thick this time of the year?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian,
Are you doing this work now or are these photos from some time in the past? By that I mean are you cutting branches that thick this time of the year?

This is current work; removing a sacrifice branch that size here or there won't hurt a thing.

 

[Adair M]

Fall/early winter is the best time to prune/wire/style pines.

Wiring usually bends branches down, which has the effect of exposing the woody part of the branch to the sun. This, in turn stimulates old dormant buds. Wiring in the fall therefore results in new back buds in the spring.

Pruning in the fall also opens up the interior of the tree to light. Also, you'll get less sap bleed as the tree is going dormant. When the tree wakes up next spring, the remaining branches will get all the energy.

Styling in the fall is less stressful. Since the tree is going dormant, it's demands are less. When the tree wakes up in the spring, it will repair the sap lines damaged by the bending and set to the new positions.

Since on finished trees and refined trees we often reduce old needles in the fall, it's also easier to wire with fewer needles in the way.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here it is after the branches were lowered and spread out a bit more. Unfortunately, the apex is going to have to be remade with some grafts in that straight section of the upper trunk. The knuckle at the top of it just won't make for a quality tree. The goofy fishhook-shaped shoot in the upper right area was jut wired into the profile, it had to stay as it will be useful in keeping sap flowing in that area when the grafts are applied.

Looking back to the photos of the tree from just 1 year ago (post #11), it's coming along well, and hopefully it will advance as much in the next year!

 

[JudyB]

It does look good, can you not just chase the fishhook branch back to new buds and start the branch over?

Also, is it better to wire right after fall work, or wait till late winter? I've heard that late winter is best for wiring...

 

[fore]

Here it is after the branches were lowered and spread out a bit more. Unfortunately, the apex is going to have to be remade with some grafts in that straight section of the upper trunk. The knuckle at the top of it just won't make for a quality tree. The goofy fishhook-shaped shoot in the upper right area was jut wired into the profile, it had to stay as it will be useful in keeping sap flowing in that area when the grafts are applied.

Looking back to the photos of the tree from just 1 year ago (post #11), it's coming along well, and hopefully it will advance as much in the next year!

It's coming along Very Nicely Brian! Well balanced and very healthy! Mine also has a rather thick branch near the apex. Peter and I didn't have a lot of time to discuss the apex development, so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do next yr. of further apex dev. So I'll keep an eye on how you proceed with great interest Brian!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Mid-summer update

I will be eager to repot again and get it flush with the rim, but just didn't want to push it in its first root-work this spring. As strong as it grew, I probably could have gotten away with being more aggressive.

All 3 grafts failed in that stovepipe section near the apex, so I'll try again in the spring.

It will be decandled in 3-phases, starting in about 10 days, then pruned and rewired this fall.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Bummer about the grafts, but looking good in the new pot. Any surprises getting out of the big can?

 

[Nybonsai12]

Looking good and healthy.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Bummer about the grafts, but looking good in the new pot. Any surprises getting out of the big can?

Not really. I'd been aerating and adding aggregate over the last few years, and it was still pretty muddy. I sawed the bottom 1/3 off, then worked out as much as I thought was safe.

 

[fore]

Looks fantastic in new pot Brian, good job. I simply can't believe yours did so well in that soil for so long. I had nothing but trouble. Anyway, you're making great progress.

Chris

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It takes a while to get the hang of pines. My first attempt was a sweet JBP from the MABA show up in your neck of the woods, Glencoe(?), back in '97. Wired it up in August and it was dead by Christmas. You'll get there.

 

[fore]

It takes a while to get the hang of pines. My first attempt was a sweet JBP from the MABA show up in your neck of the woods, Glencoe(?), back in '97. Wired it up in August and it was dead by Christmas. You'll get there.

Glencoe is right, good memory Brian. And "Thanks"! That makes me feel a lot better!

I think I just did a crap of a job overwintering this yr. Bad placement of trees to near to heater, poor watering, and forgot the spring anti fungal spray. At least I feel like I'm 'getting there'

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It's been a while since I updated this one. I let it grow this year unwired, and skipped summer decandling in favor of branch development.

It was pruned, needle-plucked, and wired over the last few days and still has a ways to go; particularly in the straight section below the apex. I'm on my third grafting attempt, hence the bushy spot in the upper right.

Gradually, the defects associated with fast-growing for a big trunk are being corrected and the tree is becoming refined. It seems to be two steps back to get a step forward, but I think the next 3 years will bring the tree quite a way.

 

[JudyB]

Lovely images as always. Glad to see this one making such good progress. That nebari is amazing!