Dwraf Scotts Pine, sylvestris 'Jeremy'

[Bretts]

After hacking at this pine a few years ago I planted out in the garden. But I could not seem to get the conditions right for it possibly over watered. I put it back in a pot so I could manage better and it came back to vigorous health. I was told a dwarf would not be good material to work with because it is too slow but the last two years growth has been very good.
It had MANY whorl branches but not so many internodes so I think I will have to learn grafting on pines soon.
I have been amazed at the thickening of the lower branches to the point they seem very un-natural. I think I have to aim for an interesting tree more than a natural tree.
I tried to combat this lower branch thickening. As this tree has a lower dominance I turned the normal timing of candle pruning from top to bottom to encourage bottom growth, to bottom to top candle pruning te get more top growth. Although I never pruned the top at all thinking it would grow even more? I have many new buds all over the active growth but did not seem to balance the growth as I hoped.
The trunk has thickened up alot and aged some as well so I sometimes believe there may be some decent roots under what is left of my tentative attempt to rid the base of the pot tortured roots 3 years ago.
I was about to scrape some soil of to give youse a better look at the base but decided the roots are too dense there for that at the moment. I think this can be a very nice addition to a collection if it was done right. I am thinking a very stout triangular broom shape pine. Very cookie cutter but I think interesting with this material. Any other ideas?

scotts pine.jpg

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[63pmp]

On first inspection it looked like the two lowest branches are opposed, but image 4 shows the right hand branch to be slightly higher.

My suggestion would be to bring the left hand branch down dramatically so that it is about 1/3 the way down the trunk from where it is now, replant it in the ground/big pot and concentrate on growing the crown. And patience, it's a slow ride.

Regular Scott's pine will shoot new branches from old needles. I read that it is easy to propagate Scott's by cuttings from these shoots, maybe there are some available for ramification. I cut off the top off a branch on a garden tree and just about every pair of needles shot a new bud. Perhaps remove the terminal buds from a long shoot and see what happens????

Paul

[63pmp]

Also,

Thin out some needles on the lower branches, redirecting energy back to the apex.

Paul

[Marc]

I can;t somment on Scotts as my onely one died from god knows what.... however, with this one seems to me it needs a lot of thinning out first so you can get a clearer view of the branches, get a feel for where the tree is growing to.

it might end up being a large mame style or shohin style and never get much bigger.

Maybe try something drastic such and butcher some branches to get at least SOMETHING to happen to it, give it a kind of tortured look, i dunno, but sorry to say, to me at the moment it doesn;t give me much... gotta keep it though, a pine with a nice trunk liek that needs to be kept i reckon, do something to it.

good luck.

[Bretts]

Thanks for your thoughts. I put it up on the bench for a better look and ended up giving it a little trim. It may have been best to leave to a better time but since it is growing so strong I am thinking it would be worse to leave.
I don't think I can move that branch down to much at the base but with the change of angle and wiring of the outer branches down I think I can seperate the two side branches enough. I really think I need to graft a front branch up the top out to the right. I also want to move the trunk too the right just after the third branch.
I had this in the ground for a year but I could not seem to get the care right and it suffered, the health returned after I went back into a pot.

pine.jpg

This as I got it

pine2.jpg

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And after First styling

pine4.jpg

[Dario]

Hey Bretts, where is this tree at now?
Would like to see an update if possible?
Thanks, Dario.

[Bretts]

Sorry Dario I killed this one not long after last post with a over zealous inexperienced re-pot. A bit late in the season and a little too rough I suspect.
Thanks for bringing it up though as I was going to get around to looking for this thread so Gerard could have a look. He has one now. They are a great species and I want another.

[Dario]

Thanks for the quick reply Bretts,
I am very sorry to hear that this pine is no longer mate !
I guess we learn from our mistakes though.
Have you replaced this pine with any others?
Thanks again, Dario.

[Bretts]

I have a young Scott's pine. Mainly just to see how they go in our climate here.
When Peter Adam's was here a couple of years ago he was talking about how much he liked Dwarf Scott's pines. I happened to have this one with me and he had a good look at it. He said it was good to see we could grow them in our heat. This surprised me as I had figured being a pine it needs lots of sun and I usually gave it full sun even on our 45 deg days which it seemed to love.
I never got a chance to experiment with more shade but have been curious ever since.
From advice I keep my current Scott's pine in part shade like my other cold climate trees. It made it through last season with no worries but really want another of these Dwarf ones.
Whoever is doing the graft on these dwarf Scott's is doing a fantastic job.

I do have plenty of young JBP now as well.

[Dario]

Good to know you have some more pines Bretts and that you didn't give them a miss altogether after the first one carking it.
Pines are my favourite! Good luck with them and it would be good to see them in the future and to know how they manage in your climate over the long term.
Thanks mate, Dario.

[Bretts]

I am really starting to enjoy working with the JBP, Almost as much as my hornbeams I could get around to showing what I have been doing with them but for now here is a link to another pine I think is a great species.
viewtopic.php?f=122&t=2623
This is coming along well enough at the moment. Surprising me by starting to bark up like an older tree Plan is to feed it well and just candle prune this year. I will update the thread soon but just about to go on a little fishing trip tomorrow

[Dario]

Thanks for the link Bretts, that pine is much improved via the bending and will be very nice!
Hope the fishing trip was a success, Dario.