Pine advise needed!

[Kimberley82h]

hello there


So I am newish to bonsai, a couple of years, I had 3 but just added another three to the collection. I have bought an english yew, igiogawa juniper and alberta spruce. All starter trees.

The spruce is very small maybe six inches tall, and I see has quite a few small candles starting. It was very pot bound so repotted, I dont plan to work on it yet due to repotting, but when I do, any advise is greatly appreciated. I have never owned a pine before. Namely, how to prune candles on the spruce correctly to promote growth, and also whether to plant in a large pot to grow large with a view to cutting down (i dont fancy that really) or to take time and grow in its own time so to speak.

Thanks a bunch any one with a little wisdom to share!

Kim.

 

[Eric Group]

Well Kim, let's get the differences straight first- not picking on you but Spruce is not a Pine. There are similarities, but their care and pruning techniques are different.

I have more experience with Pines than Sprice, but you get completely different candles from the two.

The Alberta Spruce is difficult for Bonsai from my experience... The branches tend to stay really short, don't hold a bend well, and they grow in an extremely vertical/ Christmas tree like habit.

To prune the new growth, I think you just remove the largest bud from the middle and try to encourage back budding, but it depends on what you are going for. This is a dwarf species so they don't get exceptionally long needles/ really large growth, so pruning to reduce foliage size is probably not as important as directing growth to where you need it...

 

[Kimberley82h]

Many thanks for your reply, I am attempting to grow black pine from seed soon, my seeds came last week, so if I succeed I may well need your expertise in a few years!!

As for the spruce, I am not totally decided, but I feel upright/informal upright is best, I dont intend to allow it to grow into a very tall bonsai, but I did buy partly as it is, like you say, the xmas tree shape, and a lovely smell. The tree seems very healthy with many small buds growing. I think as repotted, I will leave any pruning and such for some time though.

 

[Kimberley82h]

So here is the little spruce conifer (not pine lol) always think it is a pine mind you ! Not entirely sure where to start with it.

 

[M. Frary]

Don't feel bad. At least you are trying to get the identification right. I work in the line clearance industry and a lot of the guys I meet anymore that call themselves tree trimmers call every tree with needles a pine.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Shameless self-promotion alert...
If you click on the "JBP book" in my signature below, it takes you to a book I published showing in "time-lapse" style photography how I developed this JBP over the course of 7 years. It will give you a clear demonstration of how, what, and when. JBP are fantastic bonsai subjects, and easy once you understand some basic physiology and cause-effect of pruning techniques. Looking at progression photos showing this work over time hastens the learning curve.

 

[sbarnhardt]

Shameless self-promotion alert...
If you click on the "JBP book" in my signature below, it takes you to a book I published showing .

Brian,

To your knowledge, is there anyway your book can be read on a Kindle Fire HD?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Sorry, I don't know. The publisher was good in many regards, but fell short in others; accessibility included.
If the Fire has an app that allows you to buy and read books in Apple's iBookstore, then you could go that route.

 

[JoeR]

Brian,
Does the book show progression from seed?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian,
Does the book show progression from seed?

I'm good, but not that good! The tree was purchased as nursery stock in a 7-gal. can, and developed from that point over 7 years; painstakingly photographed the entire time.

 

[Kimberley82h]

Marvellous thanks I will have a look! A nursery here has some small white pine seedlings, I might even have a go with one of those too they are only £4.
And yeah I call it a pine, but I even bought as a set if three conifers haha theres no hope! I can see what people say about the bendy branches pointed vertical, once its had time to settle in the new pot, i will probably do the first chops

 

[Vance Wood]

Don't feel bad. At least you are trying to get the identification right. I work in the line clearance industry and a lot of the guys I meet anymore that call themselves tree trimmers call every tree with needles a pine.

I wondered about that. I guess when you are only cutting them it is not important that you know what they really are.

 

[Kimberley82h]

To be honest im not sure what I will do yet, it needs time to settle. I take excellent care of those I have as best to my ability.

 

[Eric Group]

That spruce is very young! Not a bad thing necessarily, I guess... You can train it how you want certainly...

And please don't feel bad, like I said I wasn't picking on you, just wanted to set it straight!

We have all made plenty of mistakes and misunderstandings regarding species before.

 

[M. Frary]

I wondered about that. I guess when you are only cutting them it is not important that you know what they really are.

When just removing a tree it isn't that necessary to know the species but trimming a tree in someone's yard is a different thing. A person needs to know growth rates,growth habit and a number of other things to do the tree right. If someone can't identify the type of tree they are working on how can they do the best job for that particular tree?

 

[Vance Wood]

When just removing a tree it isn't that necessary to know the species but trimming a tree in someone's yard is a different thing. A person needs to know growth rates,growth habit and a number of other things to do the tree right. If someone can't identify the type of tree they are working on how can they do the best job for that particular tree?

That's true but I have seen incidents of that kind of thing blown as well where the people involved did not know what they were doing to what, when and why.

 

[M. Frary]

Happens all of the time. What's good for one tree is good for the rest. But it's really not. A shame.

 

[Kimberley82h]

That spruce is very young! Not a bad thing necessarily, I guess... You can train it how you want certainly...

And please don't feel bad, like I said I wasn't picking on you, just wanted to set it straight!

We have all made plenty of mistakes and misunderstandings regarding species before.

Indeed it is a very small one, it was bought as a starter tree for a small amount so I thought I want to give it a go, as for mistaken species, there is a lovely bonsai I saw recently, advertised as dawn redwood, but looked distinctly like a yew to me! As I am still learning, and now trying with new species I haven't before, I have been doing so much reading, and you are right, the care of each type can be so different to what another type will need. All part of the fun

 

[Kimberley82h]

Well this little tree I posted above, spruce, I had to wire a couple branches just so they stay down and let light in as getting a few yellow pines in the centre, also loads and I mean loads of little buds on it everywhere, and a few are all bursting open now! I am hopeful this means its a healthy, yet small tree

 

[M. Frary]

Sounds like it. Sweet! Or should I say brilliant!