Wavy's Japanese Black Pines from Seed

[WavyGaby]

There are many JBP threads on this forum that have inspired me to grow my own. I started a batch of JBP seedlings (ordered from FW Schumachers) in February 2022 and again in 2023. I had my own curiosities about what could be done with a JBP in six years so I selected a couple vigorous growers to photograph the last couple of years.

Here is February 2022. I started several dozen seeds in a damp paper towel. I tried some others in a peat mix. I used a heat mat and LED light to try and jump start things.



I seedling cut 40 out of about 55. For most of them I used a mix of perlite and pumice with a tablespoon of fine akadama in the middle around the stem. I did coco and perlite with a couple others. I fertilized heavily with foliar and granular feeds of various kinds.


I moved the flats outside in partial shade the first week of April 2022


Aug 2022 - this is the largest on of the group. It was grown in coco and perlite


This is clump that I started


By the end of October 2022 I transplanted some to exposed root set ups



Here is a root over rock that I am trying. This one had a ton of roots.


Here is the largest one in April 2023. I up-potted it to keep it growing strong for my personal challenge



Here's a few others in April 2023

 

[gfreak]

Man, that's some good growth! the ones i planted are only maybe 2-3" tall after 6-7 months lol.

 

[19Mateo83]

The one you gave me is still kicking along in its little pot. I still haven’t decided which way I’m going to go with it but I will up pot into pumice this spring.

 

[WavyGaby]

Man, that's some good growth! the ones i planted are only maybe 2-3" tall after 6-7 months lol.

thank you! I gave full sun and water about three weeks after transitioning outside. Be careful not to keep them too wet though.

 

[WavyGaby]

Here is the largest one from 2022. It's only about 22 months old at this point. I pulled most needles along the sacrifice leader in the fall but the deer ate off the ones around the terminal buds recently. I'm hoping it still has enough juice to keep on pushing. At least the lower shoots were not affected though!



2022 Batch




Twin Trunk


Group


Exposed Roots





This is one of my favorites. It is going to have really nice bark and movement


Some 2022, 2023, and others in grow area

 

[WavyGaby]

I started the 2023 batch of seeds in late January. I used a seed tray with perlite and coco coir. I added a tarp to keep some heat in. I decided not to do root cuttings this year (except a handful) and instead I plan on doing more root work after one year.

Here it is at the end of Jan



March 2023. I also started some in rockwool cubes. I didn't have great success with the cubes though


May 2023


August 2023 along with a few others

 

[WavyGaby]

JBP grown by Comstock. I purchased in Dec 2019. It had really nice tight bends. It lost some of the acute angles but still has great movement. It has great nebari, of course, too. I candle cut some shoots in June. Looking forward to increasing branch density with candle cutting.
The upper trunk is a sacrifice and will be replaced by the highest twig shown on front side

Front


Back

 

[WavyGaby]

Update on the 2022 batch of seedlings

ROR


2 Exposed root. 1 of 5 died


Generic examples



This is from post #5 - nice bends and bark

Overall


Biggest one from 2022. I am doing my own 6 year shohin challenge with this one

 

[badatusernames]

Great thread, I'm a year or so behind you with some seedling cuttings - putting some motion into them next year. I started them a bit late in 2023 so they were teeny tiny at the beginning of this year, but they've grown well, are healthy, and good low budding! Kinda makes me wish I started more.

Did the same thing in terms of starting late after an animal upended my first pot of red pine... two of those look like they'll make it to next year too.

 

[WavyGaby]

Great thread, I'm a year or so behind you with some seedling cuttings - putting some motion into them next year. I started them a bit late in 2023 so they were teeny tiny at the beginning of this year, but they've grown well, are healthy, and good low budding! Kinda makes me wish I started more.

Did the same thing in terms of starting late after an animal upended my first pot of red pine... two of those look like they'll make it to next year too.

Thank you! I bet you could wire up some this fall, too. I saw quite a bit of growth last year from Sept - Dec as wire was cutting in on a few of them.

I started late with this years batch, too - late Feb or March and they are way behind the previous years growth. I was curious if I could add some high quality organic potting soil to my 2024 seedlings to get more growth. The seedlings hated it and ive probably lost about 15-20 of the 50 I started.

After three years of seedlings and trying some various soil mixes, I found that a 50/50 pumice and perilite is best for my environment.

Cheers,

 

[WavyGaby]

Pine clump/group started from seeds in 2023 (could be 2022).
I bought this slab at our club auction. I already had a JBP group going in a 6" pot so I was able to take it out of pot, tie it down, muck it in, and cover with moss.
Its hanging out in the semi-shade until established.

 

[WavyGaby]

I started the one on the left in 22. Its been in a small pot its whole life. I decandled some shoots this year.
The one on the right was given to me in 2020. I decandled the top the last two seasons.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Very nice!

So far in my bonsai journey, I have found JBP to be the most fun to grow from seeds because you can do so much with them when they are young.

 

[WavyGaby]

Very nice!

So far in my bonsai journey, I have found JBP to be the most fun to grow from seeds because you can do so much with them when they are young.

Thank you. I agree. Its nice to have a bunch to try different things. I even tried wiring one I didnt like very much in the middle of July. I cracked the trunk in half, probably 60% through, and its still alive and healing.