Japanese Black Pine - Basic care and position

[FDoan]

HI All,

I'm new to the forum. Have been gifted a 26yr old Japanese Black Pine and have basically minimal knowledge on bonsai care. Wanted to see if you guys can give me some advice.

I have read the other thread "A seasonal Guide by Daluke" but need further advice on below:

- Positioning with sunlight (i am told southern facing). i live in western Sydney. Does my bonsai need to be taken undercover during extreme rain and hot days
- fertilising in summer and autumn. Can you guys recommend any particular brand?
- watering. How much and how often?
- any other advise would be much appreciated.

Thanks and look forward to the responses.

[tgooboon]

Do you have any photos?

[shibui]

Pines usually do best in as much sun as you can give them. They do not really like shade. My pines are in the same position all year round through sun, rain and heatwaves.
Leaving it out through really hot weather does, however, depend how well you can water the tree, what sort of soil it is in and how long since it was repotted.
I'm already watering all my bonsai twice each day but exactly how often really does depend on the type of soil, location and how big the tree is in relation to the pot. Watering is different for every grower. Just sprinkling the tree with a hose is not really watering. The water must soak right into the middle of the root ball so I find it more effective to water then wait a minute and water again. The first lot only soaks in a couple of cm usually. The second and third watering soaks in better because of the earlier wetting. Some people prefer to dunk the pots in a tray of water once a week in hot weather to make sure the roots are properly wet.
Trees that are root bound are more difficult to water properly because there's less room for the water to get into the soil as spaces are now full of roots. Those are the ones I tend to soak occasionally.
Rarely bonsai in very poor soil will stay too wet and that can be a problem. You really need to monitor soil moisture to decide when and how often to water any particular tree. Poke a finger into the soil (1-2 cm deep) to check before watering or stab a wooden skewer into the soil and leave it there. Pull out and check for moisture before watering.
If the soil is really poor draining the tree may need protection from extended rain but that is rare.
Some people will say that lots of trees die from too much water. I believe that far more die from too little water and death from dehydration is far quicker.

Fertilizer is every 2-3 weeks in the growing season except after decandling if the tree is up to that stage. The trees do not care which fertilizer they get. They just want nutrients so any fertilizer will do at the recommended rates. I use Thrive and Powerfeed but everyone will have their own favorite and have reasons they like those ones.

Pines have special requirements for trimming and pruning to maintain the desired shape. You need to investigate and understand the techniques if you want to keep a pine looking good long term. How to proceed will depend where the tree is up to and how long it has been since it was properly managed.
As already mentioned, photos are essential for really good advice. Photos for ausbonsai must be under 1mb to load properly so you may have to reduce file sizes before attaching here.

[FDoan]

Hi,

Thanks for your all replies - much appreciated.

I have uploaded some photos (sorry took a while, had to work out how to reduce the file size).

I also noted some tips are staring to die (3 so far), which is worrying a little, but hope its just from the stress of moving to a new environment.

Look forward to your advice and tips.

PXL_20201129_015924006.MP-min.jpg

[Stu]

The photos were taken inside. Just in case your "basically minimal knowledge" includes positioning your tree inside, don't. Keep it outside permanently, in full sun, following Shibui's guidance.

[shibui]

Good job on reducing file size to load to Ausbonsai. Great to see what we are talking about.
I am a bit surprised to see that tree is supposed to be 26 years old but if the previous grower did not feed and look after it well that could easily be right.
The long, bare branches are a little worrying. Pines do not bud easily on bare wood so it can be really hard to make a rangy pine compact again. I think you need to urgently explore pine care and pruning in order to prevent further bare sections as the older needles drop this summer. Next year will be too late for some of those branches unless you really like the long, bare look.

The dying shoot is a little worrying but as long as it is just one or 2 it should be OK. Dying tips can be from a number of causes:
too dry - the tree will let some parts die in order to save the rest. In severe cases all shoots can die and sometimes the entire tree.
too wet - roots die and cannot supply food and water to all parts.
physical damage - the shoot has been bent or bumped and is broken. New shoots should grow from the base. - check for signs of new growth.
pests - I have not seen this in Australia but there are some caterpillars that eat the base of pine shoots and kill them.
Lack of sun - usually older needles die and whole sections go yellow and start to die.

It is always going to be difficult to accurately diagnose problems from photos. I would urge you to try to find someone up there who can take a close look and even guide you in the care and management of this pine.