what species is my new bonsai?

stretch · Post by **stretch** » November 26th, 2009, 5:04 pm

hi i recently purchased this pine, was wondering if anyone could help with identifying the species!

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » November 26th, 2009, 6:06 pm

can you get a close up of the foliage, at a guess i would say white pine, pinus parvifolia, but thats just at a guess with out seeing detail, do the needles have a thin white line down them?

jamie.

Jarrod · Post by **Jarrod** » November 26th, 2009, 6:25 pm

Looks like a white or a mugho, I think. how many needles are there in each little group?

Have you been into bonsai long? I ask because these can be tough trees and one of this size wouldn't be cheap??

Jarrod · Post by **Jarrod** » November 26th, 2009, 6:27 pm

Or after a bit of a thought, is it a cedar?

Pup · Post by **Pup** » November 26th, 2009, 6:45 pm

G,day
Stretch, your pine is a Pinus pinea ( Italian stone pine ) very similar to the Aleppo pine.
I have two they do make nice tree's.

Cultivation is different than other pines, in that you can pinch them back almost any time I have just done mine.
You can also cut them back. When you see bigger thicker looking needles which are the mature ones pull them out.
With this species you need to keep immature foliage, like with the Juniperus Foemina ( American juniper ) .
Constant pinching will give you nice tight foliage pads. Or you can go for a slightly open look as I do.

Cheers

Pup

dayne · Post by **dayne** » November 26th, 2009, 6:54 pm

pup would know pup how do these go in a warmer climate?
and you have done well to come across a nice tree with a solid trunk

Pup · Post by **Pup** » November 26th, 2009, 8:49 pm

They would do extremely well. They are of Mediterranean origin. Perth is quite a hot City and where I live at the foot hills in summer when the beasterly easterly blow it gets to the high 30- to low 40. They like all trees need good drainage and like to be fed.

Here are mine just so you can compare foliage as well as the trunk bark.

P1080166.JPG

P1080167.JPG

P1080168.JPG

P1080169.JPG

P1080170.JPG

dayne · Post by **dayne** » November 26th, 2009, 8:57 pm

thanks for that your trees look realy nice i might have to keep an eye out for some

Jonden · Post by **Jonden** » November 26th, 2009, 9:02 pm

Hi pup,
I picked this as a Stone Pine as I have had a couple, but have never had much luck wth them.
What's the scret of keeping them,
Cheers, Jonden

Pup · Post by **Pup** » November 26th, 2009, 10:57 pm

jonden wrote:Hi pup,
I picked this as a Stone Pine as I have had a couple, but have never had much luck wth them.
What's the scret of keeping them,
Cheers, Jonden

G,day,Jonden I treat them mainly as Junipers never had any problems. I was told when I first started with these they were no good. Now 20 years later I think they are OK. Have sold the no good for Bonsai ones to those that told me no good.

Keep the needles as I said at the immature, cull all the large needles. Pinch as needed, and I have just pruned back. What happens is in the next month or so some of the foliage will brown off. What you do then is rub it off, this then encourages back budding.
Which if you want really tight foliage you keep pinching, or more open like I have let it elongate a bit.

They are apical dominant so you do have to watch that. The larger one of the two was put in the ground for 18 months doubled in size. I forgot to keep the top pruned lost a lot of taper. The bark is really starting to look good now though. The small one was admired by Ernie Kuo when he was here in 2001. He wrote an article on them in Bonsai Today 59 pages27to29.

He gives these pointers the strong points are 1 the juvenile foliage is short an uniform, 2It is very easy to keep the foliage juvenile,3bare branches bud back very easily if the terminal growths are pinched or pruned,4 large branches stay put when the wire is removed after a year or two,5Large concave cuts heal and close very rapidly. The weak points 1 usually there are unsightly bumps on the trunk around the bases of the branches on young trees,2 juvenile foliage turns brown easily soon after newer growth emerges,3smaller branches need detailed wiring to maintain an orderly appearance. Its natural growth is in the umbrella style. They are also grown for the pine nuts,sold in health food stores.
Cheers

Pup

stretch · Post by **stretch** » November 27th, 2009, 7:54 am

hi guys i posted some pics yesterday of my new bonsai but they were taken with a phone, i have some better ones now hope they help. The only info i have on the plant is its age (59 yrs) as i purchased it at a garage sale ($200) and the person who grew the plant wasnt home at the time. Originally i thought it was a pine but have seen some pics of similar looking cedars.

Jonden · Post by **Jonden** » November 27th, 2009, 9:25 am

Hi stretch,
Looking at the new pics it appears to be more like Cedrus Deodar, still very good stock to work with,I would like to see some future progressives of this.
Thanks pup for that info on Stone pines, very helpfull and varifying some the problems that I had with them.
Thanks, Jonden

AusBonsai