AusBonsai

Lovely collection of JBPs. I have not seen any for sale in garden centres or Bunnings even. I have bought a JWP and another round one. The JWP has little cones too. Just two at the top of the tree. And one roundish pine that I have forgotten the name of. Tiny thing.

But isn't it amazing when you become interested and fixated on bonsai, you look around gardens and the country side to identify a few more interesting potential bonsai. And your own garden too. Amazing what I found, a Quince, that I have taken cuttings from and seeds, although only one seed sprouted, and couldn't lose its case and died. Privet, prunus, Picea Albertinia conica, wisteria. Flowering weeping cherry (non edible unfortunately but the birds love them) banksia, bottle brush, and wild apple tree, birch, holly (English) and liquid amber.

And small leaf privet, and the big Photinia. Well done everyone!

I want some pine needles to compost. Another job going to the Pine forest, one day.

Good stuff squiz!

What's the go with leaving the wire on , on the seedling, until it cutting in and almost disappearing? I assume there is an objective?

Biofusion wrote:What's the go with leaving the wire on , on the seedling, until it cutting in and almost disappearing? I assume there is an objective?

Hi Biofusion,

This is a method of speeding up the fattening of the trunk and also results in some gnarly trunks. Not just applicable to pines. I lost about 50 C. torulosa that were undergoing this treatment and starting to look very promising when a friend who was looking in on my trees turned off the automatic irrigation system I had in place ( ). Anyway, the swelling around the wire cutting in produces fatter trunks, faster. They've been doing it in Japan for a long time, particularly in in Kinashi. The wire stays in forever.

Cheers,

Ces.

Should note, you wouldn't do this with smooth barked trees (e.g. Acers, elms, figs etc.). The scars would remain for a long time (perhaps always). However, with rough barked trees, the scars will be hidden in just a few years of reaching mature bark character.

Just thought I would show one of the pine seedling that I'm happy with.

I need to start a new batch and build on what I've learnt from this lot. The scarred trunks won't be for everyone but I am pretty happy with this one and believe it will make a cracking shohin one day.

Cheers.

Squizzy

It's a cracker now,Sqizz

Interesting, I think I have too much sympathy to leave the wire on forever!