THE PINE PROJECT

[Miikeboyle]

Hey Ryceman3, did you ever happen to count how many cotelydons your JBP had. One of my seedlings has 10 while another has 7. Was not sure if it varies within the same species or if I have 2 different species growing. Thanks.

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[Ryceman3]

Hey Ryceman3, did you ever happen to count how many cotelydons your JBP had. One of my seedlings has 10 while another has 7.

I'm pretty sure I had variations in the number of cotelydons across the same species. Can't remember exactly which one (JBP or others) but for now I would assume JBP if that is what you were told, regardless of the cotelydon count.
Seedlings are good!

[Ryceman3]

Just a quick update for those playing at home :
Sprouts began to unearth themselves about 2 weeks after the seeds were sown for the Scots pine. I now have around 25 from the 38 I planted, still with new ones coming up so happy with the success rate in germination for them.

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The Austrian pines weren't far behind ... maybe 4 or 5 days later, I have about a dozen to date (again, still more sprouting) ... also pretty good rate.
The JBP are still on their way - this morning I found this though ...

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but for now it is the "lone pine" in the JBP count. This pretty much reflects the way things went last year so it's not much of a concern yet, possibly slightly longer to germinate which could be due to the extra year in the fridge, or maybe just the fact I think the last few weeks have been quite a bit colder than the same time last year.
I haven't seen a JRP yet - better go and have another look!
Also noticing a lot of candle elongation on the JBP I repotted a few weeks ago, Spring is coming! ... I better get on to the rest ...

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[melbrackstone]

Good to get the results of all your experiments here Ryceman! Keep up the good work.

[Grainer]

I feel like I should give up.. mine are WAY behind yours!

[Ryceman3]

I feel like I should give up.. mine are WAY behind yours!

Nah... never give up. You never know, this Spring might just be the beginning of the turnaround!! Keep at it. Just sun, water and fertiliser when you remember - that’ll do it and they’ll thank you for it eventually.
When I look at my Austrian Pines and my Scots which in terms of growth aren’t as advanced as the JBP I am convinced they are ready to go viral this growing season... it’s going to be a good one! Let me know how your Scots develop, I’ll be interested.

[Ryceman3]

This was somewhat unexpected.
I was repotting a Scots Pine today - and came across this :

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So ... what to do ... I had a think and then fished around for a piece of rock I've had for a bit, I thought it might be worth trying it on for size :

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I then found some twine and used that to secure it a bit more, obviously this is going to break down (and the rubber bands will also lose their usefulness), but hopefully they'll do the job until the roots thicken up a bit and set in position :

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[Pearcy001]

I did the rubber band trick a couple of years ago on a Trident. I had amazing results from it but I also wrapped mine in foil to assist the roots in growing downward. Fingers crossed you get some good results too

Cheers,
Pearcy.

[MJL]

Good stuff. No reason why that won't work. Hopefully the rock has some nice crevices for the roots to wangle their way into and you get the added bonus of anticipation on what you'll find at the next repot.

Now, sit back, relax ... crack a and channel surf the cricket and the footy.

[Ryceman3]

Pine seed update :

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I now have the lids off all domes (for about a week) and there are still more germinating - but the number of new ones popping through is slowing so today while I was up checking them out I did a quick roll call on what has germinated.

Scots Pine are again performing the best (probably need to remember these are the only ones that are 'fresh' seed - not in the fridge for a year). They popped out the quickest and with the best percentage ... 32/38, or 84% success rate.

Austrian Pine are next best with 15/20 or 75% success. They also were earlier to germinate than others. Slightly down on last year but not bad really.

JBP came in third with a mixed bag. 3 batches that were sown came from 1 source and produced 44/100 (44% success rate). The last batch was from a different source and only has 1/40 (2.5%)... also not the best performers last year so the seed may be the reason for poorer results here. Solely taking the 3 more succesful batches from the first source into account the success rate is only marginally down on last year.
I also noticed a few seedlings went missing. I had marked a few of the cells in which the first JBPs had popped through, and I have noticed that the seedlings in those cells have disappeared! Could be birds or something (it occurred after the domes were removed) so I might have lost a few others I don't know about ... who knows.

And lastly, the JRP produced 5/20 (25% success rate) ... about the same as last year.

There is still time for a few more to pop through so these results may change. I'm good with what I have produced ... less than last year and a bit easier to manage I think!

[Ryceman3]

Another day ... another pine project!
More repotting today - almost at the end now which is good ... but I thought I would do something a bit different with one of my pine seedlings for a change of pace.

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Why?????
I'm after a neagari style JBP in the end ... exposed root. What happens is as the JBP roots grow down through the scoria they are forced to meander through the rocks (not just go straight) and as they develop you can then begin to slowly cut away the tube to reveal (hopefully) some very interesting root action!
I was inspired by Jonas from Bonsai Tonight who has some amazing examples, and I think this is pretty much the technique he uses so I thought I would give it a shot. We'll see what comes of it in 3-5 years or so I guess!

[Gerard]

A well executed root over rock but.....
I always stress "use a nice rock" the tree will improve but the rock never changes no matter how much you fertilise

[Ryceman3]

A well executed root over rock but.....
I always stress "use a nice rock"

Yep. Totally get it and agree. It was a bit of an ‘off the cuff’ response to the roots I saw in front of me so I used what I had to see what I could come up with. The scale of the whole set up as the tree develops may become problematic but we’ll see how it plays out. I appreciate the feedback, it’s the kind of response you hope to get and learn from when you’re a bit green, my experiences in the past few months have me firming on the idea of joining a club to elevate my bonsai and my knowledge to the next level. One day...

[MJL]

Great to see you trying different techniques and styles R3. I reckon it's fantastic that all these seeds (or at least those that survive over the years) will turn into trees that have excellent provenance, by the nature of your good record keeping and this forum. Very cool. Almost everything in life is more interesting in the context of a story. Indeed, storytelling is an innate part of the human condition and all the variations of trees that grow from your seeds will be some story down the years.

[Keels]

Well I've learnt something new today I didn't realize thats how neagari style JBP was created. Thanks for sharing