I was given a white pine on a black pine graft. Fairly common practice, and I have worked it into a lovely windswept style over the last couple years. However, the black pine nabari and Rootstock is bulky and ugly compared to the white pine graft. It looks like maybe there was a hardcut to the side of the graft which has not healed the scar? May I turn the black pine root graft/Nabari into a deadwood feature? Or would that kill the white pine attached? Other suggestions?
Ugly black pine-white pine graft
- Thread starter qtalps
- Start date
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
The stub on the stock appears to be the remains of the stock trunk. It will eventually grow over. It will do that quicker if you trim the dead wood flush.
To stay alive the tree needs bark connection to the roots. If you make the entire black pine stock into dead wood the white pine will not have connection to roots and will die. Conversely, any roots that do not have bark connection to green branches will also die so removing parts of the black pine bark will probably kill some of the roots.
You've only had the tree a couple of years which is not very long in bonsai terms. I suspect, given some time, the graft union will gradually even out. It is far from the worst pine graft I've seen.
To stay alive the tree needs bark connection to the roots. If you make the entire black pine stock into dead wood the white pine will not have connection to roots and will die. Conversely, any roots that do not have bark connection to green branches will also die so removing parts of the black pine bark will probably kill some of the roots.
You've only had the tree a couple of years which is not very long in bonsai terms. I suspect, given some time, the graft union will gradually even out. It is far from the worst pine graft I've seen.
The Barber
Chumono
I can't really get a size perspective but looks like the graft is quite close to the soil, maybe a couple of inches? I'd say when the tree grows out that will be a very small portion of the trunk unless you're trying to go for a smaller shohin sized tree. I agree, it isn't the worst graft ever. You could definitely do a shari but I would wait till it is more developed before I would do that. You'll only weaken the tree and slow development in my opinion.
Thank you for the inspiration that it will eventually grow out and be less noticeable. I too feared that if I made the Rootstock/trunk deadwood it would kill everything else. Great advice, and appreciated!
Thank you for your reply. Do you recommend I keep it in a larger pot instead of moving into a bonsai pot so that the trunk of the white pine at the graft grows faster, hiding the disparity between the white pine and the black pine base?
