Black Pine Bonsai Growth Stages

In early spring growth begins again.
Black pine bonsai growth stages. The method of training and caring for black pines also applies for most other pines so future articles on say white pine aka five needle pine will rely on this article for the basics and then discuss the differences. At first glance these goals are contradictory. The black pine below has been out of the ground for two or three years. My goals for it are to thicken the new leader and develop density on the lower branches.
To create density below i want to stimulate branch. The pine below grown from seed by eric schrader is in the early stages of branch development. The timing of decandling depends on heat fertilizer routine and the health of the tree. In winter the tree is dormant because of very cold weather.
Feel free to decandle when your red or black pine bonsai are in refinement phase are healthy well fed and growing in soil with good drainage. In general the period for intervention more or less coincides with seasonal changes. Decandling is a pruning technique where spring growth is removed to stimulate a second flush of growth over summer. Dwarf cultivars of the white pine include zuisho kokonoe and myojo.
The basic technique can be an effective way to produce dense foliage on black and red pines and there are several variations that can help us balance vigor between weak and strong branches at the same time. The timing of decandling depends on heat fertilizer routine and the health of the tree. Black pine basics black pines often used as bonsai and our club have had a number of presentations about their care. June july decandle from june 1st through mid july.
The japanese white pine also named five needle pine is a mountain plant with soft needles in clusters of five. The major sacrifice branch came off a couple of years ago and the tree has been decandled at least one or two times before. Spring growth on japanese black pine will tell a lot about how vigorous the tree is. Only healthy vigorous trees should be decandled.
Japanese black pine 13 years from seed lower trunk tachiagari and surface root nebari detail. Following are some examples of when to decandle and when to hold off. It is often grafted on black pine root systems for more stable growth. In high summer the tree is dormant due to the heat.
Spring growth on japanese black pine will tell a lot about how vigorous the tree is. In spring and early summer there is major growth. June july decandle from june 1st through mid july. The scots pine grows all.
When thinning needles on black or red pine i treat branches differently based on my goals for refining them. To thicken the upper section of the trunk i want to encourage vigorous growth.