Pine bonsai malleability?

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

Hey folks, looking at buying a few pinus contorta pre-bonsai (also gonna throw some seeds in some pots but that's not gonna be useful for a few years), and I was wondering if anyone has a good estimate for how many years it takes before pines (just shore pines or pines in general) start to become difficult to put bends into? I have a 5 yr old JBP that's pretty stiff on the main trunk now, but I found an option to buy some 3 yr old shore pines that are about 2 to 2 and a half feet tall and wondering if I should maybe go for the 2 year old ones instead if I want to do some dramatic bending in the trunks/

Thanks for any opinions/experiences you'd like to share!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I think it varies from species to species whether they snap or not. But my general rule is that pinky finger thickness can be done with wire. Everything larger than that, needs bowstring, guy wires, double or triple wire and tool use.

However, if I compare my flexible scots pines with my kotobuki JBP, this kite doesn't fly. Scots pines can be bent freely up until thumb thick, whereas the JBP snaps as soon as the shoot turns woody.

The earlier you do the trunk bends, the more dramatic you can make them. 90° shouldn't be an issue on younger material. So if you have a choice and the time to build something from scratch, I'd go with the youngest.

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

I think it varies from species to species whether they snap or not. But my general rule is that pinky finger thickness can be done with wire. Everything larger than that, needs bowstring, guy wires, double or triple wire and tool use.

However, if I compare my flexible scots pines with my kotobuki JBP, this kite doesn't fly. Scots pines can be bent freely up until thumb thick, whereas the JBP snaps as soon as the shoot turns woody.

The earlier you do the trunk bends, the more dramatic you can make them. 90° shouldn't be an issue on younger material. So if you have a choice and the time to build something from scratch, I'd go with the youngest.

That's good information, thanks!