[Shane] Japanese White Pine

[Shane]

Source: Purchased from the YVBS sale a couple of weeks ago.
Cost: $40
Height: current height is 36cm.


This tree appears to have only had one trunk chop as pictured, no styling. I haven't even started thinking about what to do with this pine. It's my first white pine.

[Shane]

Well, I spent two nights just staring at this tree, counting it's many and varied defects and wondering how on Earth I'm going to make a pleasing bonsai out of it in just 18 months:
- One of two interesting views of the nebari has crossing roots;
- The other front has the apex leaning forward, but is the wrong side to bring up one of the branches for a new shorter trunk, as the trunk chop would be at the front;
- Other fronts would be robin breasted; and the existing trunk chop is visible from all angles;
- Most of the branches already have internodes that are far too long to ramify;
- The spacing of branches along the existing trunk leaves a long straight bare trunk in the middle, instead of shorter spacing towards the apex;
- The leader that might make a lower apex will introduce more taper, but will also be a long trunk before a branch;
- Most of that foliage comes from a whorl of branchlets very low on the trunk (pruning back to the shortest of these for better ramification would leave thicker branches higher up introducing an imbalance);
- The best developed branch for a primary branch is on the wrong side of the tree for the likely direction of the trunk, on the inside of a curve;

Then I spent another night sketching my plan for a windswept style, which I think addresses all of these problems.

shane-jrp-windswept.jpg

[Shane]

The writing at the bottom of this sketch reads: Note the apex and upper branches can be longer than the lower branches. See figure 307, Bonsai Techniques 1 by John Naka.

[lackhand]

That looks like a challenging tree, but I think you've come up with a good plan. Drawing on Naka for inspiration is always a good start.

[Shane]

shanejwp_bent1.jpg

Styling has gone according to the sketch so far, and I'm happy with how my Japanese White Pine is progressing. Still need to wire the rest of the branches to form pads; and there might be another front on the other side (windswept to right instead of left).

shanejwp_alternatefront.jpg

Given the great bends I was able to put into the Black pine, I might rewire this one with tape covered raffia at some point soon.

[Rory]

I can see where you are going with this,... looking nice so far. Just my 2c, but if you want it to resemble that pic, you have a longish trunk there going up without much thickness, I would probably cut it back hard first and wait a few more seasons before styling it like that, but that is just me. Either way, you'll have a nice bonsai in years to come.

[Shane]

Ok, no longer happy with where I was headed with this tree. Still going for windswept, but Mauro strongly argued against Naka's windswept style as unnatural, last night when critiquing Gerard's windswept bonsai (which incidentally is not styled that way, but I asked about Naka). The problem is that shorter branches lower in a tree, overshadowed by longer ones above, would, in nature, die back from lack of light. Serious rewiring / pruning to come in months ahead.

[Shane]

I haved shortened the trunk on my Japanese White pine to try to bring it back shorter than the sashieda; ok it needs to go back further, but I'll wait on some back budding. Have also decided upon a new front that displays better roots. Have thinned out the upper needles as best I could so light can get to the sashieda. Now of course the wire is around the front of the tachiagari, instead of the back, but I can live with that during the comp.

shanejwp_beforerestyleJul2013.jpg

shanejwp_shortenedtrunkJul2013.jpg

shanejwp_newfrontJul2013.jpg

[Neli]

What Japanese very often do is bend the apex down, and create the first or second branch from it, then they can take some shoots of that and create additional branches, so at the end they have their traditional triangular canopy.
I shall write how they style their junipers soon. I was initially shocked...most of the branches are cut off and only 3 left. and mostly on top, from that the first 2 primary branches are created, and the top is arched for apex.

[Shane]

Thanks for comment, Neli. Not aiming for the traditional triangle here, as it's windswept. Repotted it recently.


Took this tree to a styling review for advice on horticulture of JWPs and recieved advice on when to trim the candles and how. Still thinking about whether to remove the heavy top entirely.

bonsai was meant to keep me away from the computer

[Shane]

Last night, I reduced the length of the apex some more, introduced a stronger bend to give the harshly windswept look I really want from this bonsai, and reduced the foliage.

bonsai was meant to keep me away from the computer

[Neli]

They do even the wind swept triangular.

[chrisatrocky]

the apex seems a little much to me. here is how I would deal with it. bring all the foliage in closer to the trunk.

uploadfromtaptalk1383535572670.jpg

just a suggestion.
I cant grow white pines where I am, so make sure its the right time of the year to work on them.
chris

[Josh]

Chritarocky, that is exactly what I saw when I looked at this tree. I think loosing that top brach makes it more believable.

Josh.

[treeman]

Shane, I think you shouldn't be wiring/cutting white pine in summer. They can bleed a lot and weaken. But now that you have, you should leave it. Bending again- and especially bending the opposite way - will seriously damage sap flow. Because they grow so slowly, It will take at least 12 months to properly heal all the micro cracks which wiring makes.
Definitly a different animal to the Black Pine! And yes I think the top can come off too. But not now.