Japanese Black Pine Trainers

[alpineart]

These are the Japanese Black Pines i purchased from Shibui Nursery in Yackandanda last year .They were sorted into similar sizes then root pruned , wired and styled .Some of them were set as root over rock

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The terracotta coloured pot didn't fair as well as the others ?. The others were set as singles

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The smaller black pot had more basel growth than the others which had a more balanced growth all round possibly stronger lower shoots to start with ? .. A clump style was tried along with a single tree in a similar bonsai pot .The centre tree's in the clump out performed the outer trees possibly to do with the wire restricking the sap flow to the outer sections of the outside tree's ? and the single unit

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this performed poorly . . All of these were potted with the same medium and fed the same fertilizer .As with any small scale test the results are very different . The pots used were varied however roughly the same size , the plants were potted into similar size pots .The growth rate is varied and different , this is typical of low scale growth test . Larger pots doesn't necessarily result in bigger plants it depends on numerous aspects , roots , number of shoots , health of the plant etc etc , .While i tried my best to keep things as uniform as possible the growth is remarkably different . Campbells Rustica Plus is a compound fertilizer , which means each granule is the same blend . This was a measured dose on 3 occasions , suggested /recommended dose is 3 monthly , i dosed these every 6 weeks , 2 died ? The other young pines are being used for Inarching onto the 4 for $40 JBP. Many questions and very few answers in small scale tests , but nothing uniform .Cheers Alpineart

[boom64]

Greetings Alpineart,
Interesting to see the J.B .P starters. As a novice it is always good to see other peoples plants .Good to have a gauge as what results you should be aiming for,height, thickness, branching,etc..
I know this is a bit off the topic but I have heard many conflicting reports as when is the best time to root prune pines ? Also when you set the root over rock did you bare root the plant? The reason i ask, is i have access to a good selection of Pinus Pinea ( I know these are not in the same league,but good enough to hone my skills ) and i wish to get a selection of root over rocks happening. I have been collecting rocks and have a large collection.
Thanks John.
p.s: I am starting to make a habit of bugging you for information.I check previous posts, but hard to get a difiniative answer.

[alpineart]

Hi Boom64, info is meant to get around and go around its how we all learn , i ask too when i cant find what i'm looking for . Mate i don't have a timetable as to when i do any work .I seem to go with the flow that has been learn't from trial and error so to speak .I work on pines and conifers just as deciduous begin to loose their leaves , most people work on deciduous first then pines later .I start collecting pines now from the wild usually 3-4 days after heavy rain , this has proved very successful .If i was to go out at any time now without the rain i tend to have many more loses which ever species of pine i collect .These JBP are basically my first trial as to how they will grow .My specialty is Pinus Nigra Austrian Black Pine /European Black Pine , these i dig and work all year round .As for root work i wouldn't hesitate working a root over rock from now until November Pinus Nigra Only . I set these trainers , bare rooted , root pruned and re-potted the week i got them .

I know Shibui would be helpful as to when he works JBP and he may be able to recall a date as he was digging Ground grown JBP at the time i purchased these . As for root over rock i bare root all species and don't use any muck The roots are placed directly in contact with the rock and then strapped with hemp string or packing string .This rots off within a few months and the soil placed around the rock hold the roots as they continue to grow . Muck tends to hold the root off the rock somewhat and takes longer for the roots to become adhered to the rock .If you strap a tree to a rock you should be able to lift the entire setup by the tree , if not , it is not secure in the first place .wind more string onto the roots .The string should be firm however leave some spaces for the potting mix to settle into . Push the roots into the gaps and crevices as you proceed with the wrapping of the string .I wrap all with a criss cross set up

On occasions i do carve the rock to suit the roots using a diamond wheel in a 100mm grinder .With this method its mainly for attaching older stock or unique roots required for the type of outcome i want . I prefer to use porous rocks as they do aid with moisture inside the roots , are much lighter if carefully chosen , are water retaining in most cases and are easier to carve or break for a more natural look . solid rock will heat up 3 times faster and dry out the root ball so hence the reason i prefer porous rock ..I managed to kill all my pinus pushing them as i do Nigra's .I find them rather tedious to keep with juvenile foliage and have never been successful at needle reduction . Japanese Red Pines and White pines don't do well up here according to Shibui .I was in the process of purchasing both JRP AND JWP when Shibui popped in for a chat last Month , mate he saved me some dollars and headaches . I have European Red pines and European White pines which have survived Autumn collection so its a good start .These are young to old and collected from now defunct test plots , i have yet to be work on them in any real fashion .I will get into them after i finish the Nigra's , possibly over the next 2-3 months .Hope some of this info here is helpful . Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

I managed to re-pot and root prune these trainers a couple of days ago

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, but things have been a little busy around here so i haven't posted them up . Good progress on some especially the pot grown originals

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but the ground grown stock has stalled so it has been potted up into the scoria mix and placed on the grow benches with the rest of them . Had a few casualties moreso in the ground than in the potted material probably neglect .

Cheers Alpineart

[alpineart]

These got a good work over as per the schedule here that has been used on Pinus Nigra for many years . While only young they do respond well and no doubt will become my good stock tree's for the future .As the sun comes up

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it certainly goes down

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.

Cheers Alpineart

[alpineart]

Time to make a move on these trainers , Slip potting around 60 odd pines with minor root trimming has began .These have done very well in planter bags growing in scoria wet trays for 3 years hasn't hurt there growth .

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A minor trim to fit the pot

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In need of a trim and wire but that will have to wait a few days

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Potted up

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. A couple of root over or on rock pines just 2 of the many in progress here .

Cheers Alpineart

[alpineart]

well these are the trainers all finished

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. Wiring and shaping will be done in time , just not yet , might be a night time job . Most did require root pruning due to the excessive root growth

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and not enough large pots to accommodate the trunks .

Various configurations as usual , I will take a look at the European Black Pine "Pinus Nigra" next while re-potting a few more Deciduous sale tree's , after that the Cedars will get a visit as they are moving into growth mode . My Schedule is up the creek but i have no hesitation in doing the work being done .

Cheers Alpineart

[Jarad]

Alpine, one day I hope to have a playground half as big as your.

[alpineart]

Hi Jarad Its not a bad playground , and a lot of hard work sometimes .

Cheers Alpine

[alpineart]

A few pics of the Pines after some work has taken place , some missed a needle plucking and wiring but it happens when things get busy around here

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the difference a season makes

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While time was a bit short this season no doubt they will still be here for another workover ..

Cheers Alpineart

[Isitangus]

Great looking batch. Can I ask are these intended for sale or for your own collection?


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[alpineart]

Hi Insitangus , mate these are the first JBP I have had the pleasure of working on , they have made good progress over the time i have used them . They are part of my collection however with so many tree's some have and will be sold . Several of these are under offer , like everything else around here I take offers all the time , very few leave my care .

Cheers Alpine