Somewhat New To Bonsai

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Buds and open flowers. Ideally, you remove buds as soon as you can see or feel them in autumn before the azalea puts much energy into them. Even open flowers keep drawing sugars away from growing after they are open.

I know this seems unnecessary, but trust me it will help it to recover from the repotting and pruning already done this year.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

Buds and open flowers. Ideally, you remove buds as soon as you can see or feel them in autumn before the azalea puts much energy into them. Even open flowers keep drawing sugars away from growing after they are open.

I know this seems unnecessary, but trust me it will help it to recover from the repotting and pruning already done this year.

I went ahead and pruned all the flowers off, Hopefully it will do alright, Its still pretty cold for april which is a little frusterating but Im sure that it will be alright

 

[GGB]

I grew a bristlecone from seed, my first tree from seed actually and it's still doing well in my wet, and extreme climate of Pennsylvania. I have pinus aristata but theres also pinus longavea which is also called bristlecone commonly. So maybe my experience is different than yours will be. aristata is a double flush pine and mine has been growing fairly quickly

 

[MaxTheSpy]

I grew a bristlecone from seed, my first tree from seed actually and it's still doing well in my wet, and extreme climate of Pennsylvania. I have pinus aristata but theres also pinus longavea which is also called bristlecone commonly. So maybe my experience is different than yours will be. aristata is a double flush pine and mine has been growing fairly quickly

Any Idea how to shape it? Im at a loss to make it look great, I dont have many ideas for pine

 

[plant_dr]

Are you comfortable with wiring? If not, here is a free online wiring class taught by Colin Lewis. https://www.craftsy.com/gardening/classes/bonsai-wiring-essentials/35341 it will give the basics of wiring the branches and stuff, but not necessarily the styling aspects for different trees. For that, there are plenty of videos on YouTube to check out. Study the topics in the pines forum on this site for there is a wealth of information available. Since this tree is still young get as much movement into the trunk as you can (without breaking!) and bend the branches to a more horizontal(or lower) plane. That will give you the more "bonsai" look you are after.

Here is a thread on here specifically about Bristlecone pines. It has been pretty recently updated, it's fairly long and has some good info, pics, etc. https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/bristlecone-pine.16877/

Also there is a member on here from Portland who posted in that thread- @parhamr. Maybe you could message him and talk Bristlecone...
Good luck!

I had one once that I think I killed by giving it too much attention.

 

[GGB]

It's got some good girth for how short it is, but you'd be way better off checking that thread than taking my beginner advice. All I can say is I try to keep buds low on the tree for future branches. Mine back buds predictibly and easily. In that way, what I lack in girth I make up for in options. (still talking about bonsai?) maybe

 

[parhamr]

@MaxTheSpy that tree could be folded over a bit to hide the graft scar and to look a bit more like a mountainous pine. That sort of bend is a more advanced technique, so I’d recommend meeting up with a mentor who wants to help. Are you in the Portland area? The Bonsai Society of Portland can help!

Take a look at the calendar, please: https://www.portlandbonsai.org/calendar/

 

[parhamr]

should I cut them off even if they are already blooming? or leave the ones that are blooming and cut the buds off

Remove the spent flowers after they start to die. Do this by cutting at the stem of the flower. (This prevents the plant from putting unnecessary energy into the reproductive process.)

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I voted "I don't know" on the bristlecone for a couple of reasons. I think it depends where you live and what species you own. I had one earlier that didn't last two full years in Southern California, but I wasn't sure about the species (longaeva?) and I didn't really protect it that much from the elements (particularly the dry heat and winds in the summer).

I have one now (aristata) that appears to be doing well - but time will tell. I'll let you know if it lasts five years The nursery recommends 50 - 75% shade in the foothills of the Sierras, for what it's worth, so even further south the sun protection may be critical in the summer.

 

[MaxTheSpy]

@MaxTheSpy that tree could be folded over a bit to hide the graft scar and to look a bit more like a mountainous pine. That sort of bend is a more advanced technique, so I’d recommend meeting up with a mentor who wants to help. Are you in the Portland area? The Bonsai Society of Portland can help!

Take a look at the calendar, please: https://www.portlandbonsai.org/calendar/

Thanks bud, Ill have to take a look at the society, My dad and I were thinking about taking classes a little while back. would you be willing to be an informal mentor of sorts?

 

[parhamr]

@MaxTheSpy possibly! It depends on the terms (mostly when and where).

 

[MaxTheSpy]

@MaxTheSpy possibly! It depends on the terms (mostly when and where).

Well I have lecture every day then work after, Though I have mondays and wednesdays free after about 130PM. On mondays a and a friend or two have a small fire out back and smoke some cigars, from around 2 pm to 530ishpm If that sounds appealing then sweet, if not then wednesdays after 1 or sunday eavenings would work awesome for me.

Let me know if your up for it. On tuesdays and sundays I can meet pretty much anywhere within the portland area.

 

[parhamr]

@MaxTheSpy I’ll respectfully decline (details in PM). I want to encourage you to attend Sunday Mentorship 101, starting in October through BSOP.

 

[Potawatomi13]

[QUOTE="Bonsai Nut, post: 445727, member: The nursery recommends 50 - 75% shade in the foothills of the Sierras[/QUOTE]

Sometimes nurseries employ idiots! Bristlecone family do exceedingly poorly as understory tree. Where naturally growing: high altitude, thin air, constant sun and harsh elements.....does that suggest need for shade?

 

[Potawatomi13]

When I moved into my dads house almost 4 years ago he gave me a bonsai for my birthday, Ive been doing my best to keep care of it and make sure its happy and growing the right way. Though he said this type of tree was very easy to take care of and pretty hard to kill. The next year my grandpa gave my dad a bonsai that my grandpa has had since he was 18. And eventually my dad would give me that one if its still alive and the one his dad got him when my dad was 18.

Im now 19 and need to choose a tree of my own to pass down to my kids when I have them. Ive always been a huge fan of the Bristlecone Pine tree, Huge ancient trees in california. I found one, about 10 inches tall the only one in the area for sale and was wondering if this would be a good tree to try and keep in the Portland Northwest area. I heard that they like dry climates though didnt need them to thrive. Though I cant find much about them in the northwest let alone in bonsai form.

If you know anything please let me know. I'm going to look at it again today.

A couple Bristlecone threads on here to check out for any useful info. Ryan Neil also has a Yamadori BC which I look forward to seeing. AND welcome to Bonsai.