Kotobuki Japanese Black Pine styling

[zebes]

Hey Everyone - I just recently bought a bonsai nursery stock Kotobuki Japanese Black pine and wanted to ask if you have any styling suggestions.

At the moment it's looking a looking a little leggy so I want to spend the next year trying to thicken the upper part of the tree along with forcing back budding closer to the trunk. However once I've done that, what branches would you suggest to remove? What styling would be suitable for this tree?

Many Thanks!

[zebes]

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipP ... fqZUFD10mT
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipP ... fqZUFD10mT
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nTxuarwwWYms85i93

[shibui]

H Zebes,
I see you have been into bonsai for 12 years so you will probably already know that black pines are reluctant to bud on bare wood. Occasionally you can be lucky but that is rare in my experience. I have spent years trying to get growth closer to the trunk on some leggy black pines without success. Grafting turned out to be the most reliable way to get shoots on bare sections.

I hesitate to offer styling solutions for 2 reasons - First I only have a 2d picture to go on so cannot really appreciate the depth, the base of the tree or the roots. Secondly this tree now needs to grow and, hopefully produce some buds where there's bare wood. By the time it grows a bit it could look vastly different so no real point planning for what's there at the moment.

I would now feed and water well to stimulate as much growth as possible. At some stage I would also cut back the long branches you've left, probably down to the lowest healthy fork. That may also help frighten some buds out of the bare branches. Hopefully you already know you cannot just let pines grow freely for several years to thicken up. You need to balance growth and pruning to maintain buds where you will eventually need them.
If it has not been repotted recently I would also do a full root prune and give it fresh potting mix at the next opportunity. New roots and good mix should help it to grow and bud too.

[zebes]

Hi Shibui,

Thanks for getting back to me.

Yes, I have read that it isn't easy to get black pines to back bud on bare wood. Would it be best to cut to the nearest healthy fork now or wait for the tree to regain its vigour? Should I cut the lowest branch to the left now as it's in line with the branch to the right? Would you suggest to repot now? I'm not sure when was the last time it was re-potted.

Thanks.

[shibui]

I normally repot pines early spring. I know some have started to do pines in Autumn - usually around March but I have not tried that so cannot give personal assurance.

The trouble with cutting right back now is that it will set the tree back even further. It would probably survive but may take a couple of years to regain strength and grow well again. I think it would be best to leave it for now. Let the remaining needles feed and strengthen the tree until next spring.
At some stage one of the lower branches will probably go but for now it is feeding your tree so leave it on.
I already said I cannot see the depth of your tree so can't give real considered advice on the shape. If I could see it clearly I would look at all the possibilities, including just leaving just one of those lower branches as the top of the tree. Another option may include keeping all 3 main sections because you have so little to work with so don't be in too much of a hurry to cut any more off this just yet. The 3rd obvious option, which is probably the one you are hinting at, would remove one of the lower branches to give a classic informal upright - 'safe' but predictable design like thousands of other bonsai but probably no real wow factor.

[zebes]

Alright, as you say it's best to just let it grow for now and by Spring maybe there might be more styling options to look at. Hopefully I can create something more unique other than the classic informal upright style!

Thanks for your help! I'll keep you posted with an update in Spring.

[tgward]

if there is no back budding---pines are bendable, so over a few seasons you may be able to bend the branches and foliage back closer to the trunk--also more movement in the branches make them look shorter and has more interest

[zebes]

It's just the lowest branch that I worry about not back budding, the upper branches have sheaths still so I'm sure I can encourage buds on those. Great idea with bending the branch to make it closer to the trunk, I'll try this if I don't get budding.