AusBonsai

Looking good.

I too love the smell of these pines.

Well done mate, terrific work. Yes they are very good alternative to traditional pines
Cheers Rod

From what I have read Steve, it is a long process, and you have done very well.

I like seeing the detailed branching standing out against the green of the foliage. Very refined! Thanks for posting.

Gavin

I have a soft spot for upright styled trees, this tree really does it for me! Excellent work.

Steve, great work. It does look a lot like it appears in nature. What is your annual training schedule for the tree? I posted mine recently in another post. I was wondering how close to that yours is.

A lovely Pine and i wholeheartedly agree with Gavins comment.

Sorry Gerald, I missed your post until now. I had previously read about your experiences and am happy to share mine. This is what I did with this Pinus Radiata in the sub-tropics.

Shoot pruning – January / February (sometimes into March) (after black pines)

Needle plucking – March / April

Branch removal – Winter

Wiring – Winter AND Jan/Feb after shoot pruning (they grow fast!)

General observations:
- Keep them thinned out especially during humid periods or the interior WILL die back and it’s hard to re-establish once lost
- Control the apex growth. As mentioned above, they grow fast and can get away from you
- They like lots of water and full sun
- They smell awesome
- They have a very nice limish-green colour when healthy
- I haven’t encountered any pest problems. Keep them thinned out so that things don’t nest in them.
- Timing of pruning is less point-critical than black pines (in my experience). I prune and thin them whenever they get particularly bushy. That said, as the tree gets more established my maintenance regime seems to be falling more inline with the standard black pine routine. The difference perhaps is that I will pinch (scissors or finger nails) strong new growth whenever it appears in the apex or in other areas that you don’t want to get too strong.

Thanks Steve
I have updated the the wiki page for Monterey pine with your info from this thread
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... terey_Pine

Thanks

Ken

SteveT wrote:Where does the time go?

This is what this one looks like now. The escape branch was removed last Autumn as it had grown to twice the height of the tree and was competing with the 'real' apex. I will create a very short jin with it once it has dried out completely.

It will be repotted in the coming weeks.

Steve

Thanks for sharing. I notice that you are leaning more towards the same techniques and timing if JBP. Ryan Neill and most very seasoned growers of the species leans towards similar training to the JWP. I guess everyone needs to find a blend that works for them.

You make a couple of really good points which although I do them, I do not actively pay attention to them. I will now make a point if focusing in them.

Steve

How have you found the Radiata recovers from a major trunk reduction? I have only done fairly minor work and was wondering if the wound from a large cut heals over. Generally with a pine, this is an issue.

Let me know of you have done anything like that and what the recovery/healing was like.

gerald randall wrote:Steve

Thanks for sharing. I notice that you are leaning more towards the same techniques and timing if JBP. Ryan Neill and most very seasoned growers of the species leans towards similar training to the JWP. I guess everyone needs to find a blend that works for them.

You make a couple of really good points which although I do them, I do not actively pay attention to them. I will now make a point if focusing in them.

Hi Gerald,
I've heard Ryan talk about two types of pines: one-flush (jwp, ponderosa, etc) and two-flush species (jbp, etc). In my experience, Radiata pine in the sub-tropics don't seem to fall into either one of those categories. I think I would get new growth, fairly reliably, by pruning at any time during the growing season unlike jbp which (in my experience) only responds reliably to mid-summer shoot pruning. I'd love to hear if other people are getting different results.

gerald randall wrote:Steve

How have you found the Radiata recovers from a major trunk reduction? I have only done fairly minor work and was wondering if the wound from a large cut heals over. Generally with a pine, this is an issue.

Let me know of you have done anything like that and what the recovery/healing was like.

They seem to heal quite well ... like jbp. I seal cuts that I don't intend to jin. In terms of timing of trunk cuts, I would do in winter and seal the cut with absorbent paper (super absorbent kitchen paper is good). I did some silly mid-summer trunk cuts in the early days and while the bleed terribly they all survived. Winter is best I think.

Steve