THE PINE PROJECT

[Ryceman3]

Lots of recent posts focus on JBP… so here’s a red pine that I worked on today after it was lifted with some other trees from the grow bed in July. Didn’t miss a beat.
Not very typical styling for a JRP, but I’m happy to adapt to the material.

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[melbrackstone]

Oooo, chonky!

[Ryceman3]

One of the Austrian Black Pine that was dug out last July got a first styling today.
Clearly I had no idea because my "before" shot is a completely different angle to what I eventually chose as the front.
This is only part one to this. Further development will most likely see a jin midway down the trunk after the foliage develops a bit more (see the virt for what I am talking about). I would imagine a bit more work on the tenjin will help too - but that's it for now.
Happy with how it is going - 4.5years from seed!

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[Patmet]

One of the Austrian Black Pine that was dug out last July got a first styling today.
Clearly I had no idea because my "before" shot is a completely different angle to what I eventually chose as the front.
This is only part one to this. Further development will most likely see a jin midway down the trunk after the foliage develops a bit more (see the virt for what I am talking about). I would imagine a bit more work on the tenjin will help too - but that's it for now.
Happy with how it is going - 4.5years from seed!

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Love the work you're doing with pines, and the progress you are making in a relatively short amount of time. Makes me feel very enthusiastic about growing mine. I feel inspired to try ground growing some pines!

[Ryceman3]

Some autumn JBP work that I have done recently.
These trees had their needles cleaned out and then some branch selection to remove multiples that developed after decandling. The summer shoots are still a bit fragile though so I'll leave wiring them out until they have hardened off a bit more.

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[tgooboon]

Looking great.

Do you have a favorite for your final entry in the 6 year comp? I really like 2 & 6; but hard to decide. I understand you can only put your top one in the as the final entry.

If you were growing outside of the comp would you focusing on refinement now? or would you still have lots of sacrifice branches?

[Ryceman3]

Do you have a favorite for your final entry in the 6 year comp? I really like 2 & 6; but hard to decide. I understand you can only put your top one in the as the final entry.

If you were growing outside of the comp would you focusing on refinement now? or would you still have lots of sacrifice branches?

One from this group will most likely be the final submission for the competition, but I still have a few others left to work on that might change my mind. If I had to choose right now, it would be between 1,2 and 6 ... although I think in the long term 5 has huge potential to make a very impactful tree, just think it will need longer.
I'm not that sure the competition timeline has really affected the scope of work. My trees are all fairly small (90% shohin or kifu) so I think the sacrifice branches got me where I wanted to be in terms of girth. If my aim was growing larger trees then probably I would've left them on longer, or switched to other sacrifices most likely to minimise big scars, but I got what I wanted and so was satisfied to remove them with the trunks I had developed.
I might grow some bigger bonsai with a few other trees that are currently in the grow beds ... not sure though, they are still only little.

[Ryceman3]

Neagari version from the first batch of seed is coming along.
Those long roots extend to the bottom of the plastic pot pretty much, so I will be looking to bend and twist them to suit the wiring I have set in the branching at the next repot ... probably not this year, but maybe.

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[SuperBonSaiyan]

Are the roots as flexible as the branches on a JBP? It looks very impressive, this thread continues to be an inspiration.

[Ryceman3]

Are the roots as flexible as the branches on a JBP? It looks very impressive, this thread continues to be an inspiration.

They are similar to branches, obviously the thicker they get the less flexible they become. I saw an impressive bit of root bending from Jonas on the Bonsai Tonight blog a while back which is in the back of my mind. His looked to be at a similar developmental stage to mine so I hope to replicate that technique. That is a great place for info and ideas.

[TimIAm]

Today I picked up a tray of JBP seedlings that are about 6 months old according to the seller.

I'm assuming that the yellowing die-off at the bottom of the seedlings is due to over-crowding? I've read through this thread but I'm trying to find out how you went about getting good low branching and what your (R3 or anyone) advice is for these seedlings to ensure I can get good low branching in the future?

I'm planning on separating these out to give them better access to sunlight and checking the roots to see if anything needs to be done as I plant them out. But wanting to know if and at what stage I need to do anything to get lower branching.

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[shibui]

I chop seedlings down to the lowest needles to get low branching. That can be done any time from a few weeks old through to mature foliage or lower needles falling off. Obviously the earlier the better before lower needles drop.
Note that juvenile growth like the tops of seedlings strike really well as cuttings so you can start over with shorter pieces cut from those seedlings or just get a whole new crop for the price of your original tray. I can see that these have started to produce adult needles in pairs so strike rate may be just a bit lower for those now.

[Ryceman3]

… I'm trying to find out how you went about getting good low branching and what your (R3 or anyone) advice is for these seedlings to ensure I can get good low branching in the future?

I'm planning on separating these out to give them better access to sunlight and checking the roots to see if anything needs to be done as I plant them out. But wanting to know if and at what stage I need to do anything to get lower branching.

This post pretty much shows when lower branching started.
viewtopic.php?p=263958#p263958
Good care from seed (good light, good fertilising, good watering etc) I think resulted in the above.
Separating them will help with light to the base and air flow, both lacking when planted together like in your pic…probably the cause of yellowing foliage I’d say, but whether it’s too late to expect branching to develop I don’t know. That doesn’t mean these are no good for bonsai… just might need to adapt your expectations and possibly rethink your strategy a bit.
Lots to play with so chances are you can find a solution.

[Ryceman3]

Worked on a Scots Pine from the original batch that had also been ground grown with the JBP and then transferred back into a pot last winter.
First time really considering what to do with this tree from a styling perspective, so cut back and set some branching for how I see this tree developing.
It's got fantastically short internodes and needle length also works well with a shohin sized tree. I haven't measured but I doubt this is above 15cms in height.
I think I'm happy with where it is for now. It's a decent start.

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[Daluke]

Incredible progress. Love what you are doing!