Raw Kokonoe Black Pine

[Paulpash]

Raw Koto-buki Black Pine

Hi,

I was excited and surprised to find this variety in my local garden centre so I bought it - I've never seen it anywhere for sale before in the UK, even in proper bonsai nurseries. If it can't be developed into useable stock I can enjoy it in my garden.

Ok the questions are:

It's leggy and the bottom branches are weak - how can I get it to back bud ?

What (ground growing?) plan would you put in place for the tree to get the best from it? It's probably 50 to 60 cm tall.

The whole tree


The very weak bottom stem


The most vigourous bottom branch & base


The first 6 inches of the trunk

 

[Adair M]

Marie,

I've never heard of a Kokonoe BLACK Pine. There is a variety of JWP called Kokonoe, so this is a new one. There is a graft scar down low where the bend in th lower trunk is.

The first thing you need to do is get it in better soil. It's in WAY too much of an organic mix now. So, at repotting time do a "half bare root" repot, and do the other half next year.

Fertilize heavily in the spring.

Next, you need to determine how it reacts to bonsai techniques.

I'm going to assume it grows well this spring. If it does, decandle it to see how it responds. I bet you'll get about 8 new tiny buds at the base of each removed candle. With extremely short needles.

And finally, you'll need to determine what style you want. This decision may be affected by how it reacts to the decandling. Or whether you want to fatten the trunk.

Oh... To strengthen the bottom branches, don't decandle them.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Could it be a 'kotobuki' Japanese black pine?

 

[Paulpash]

I went outside, looked at the label and it's a Kotobuki (Thumbless you were spot on) - my apologies and I've edited the title. **EDIT** Grrr how do you change the top title for this thread lol?

It's literally straight from the nursery, hence the potting compost. The trunk is very skinny at the moment (thumb sized) and it would have to be a small tree indeed to get away with the 6 or 7:1 height to trunk ratio.

I had anticipated ground growing it but would you work the roots first before putting it in the ground? When do I decandle the upper growth to force energy down low?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Nice, an fairly uncommon material too. Great find. I like the graft union, it is pretty well done, it won't be too hard to hide over time. What are your plans for this?

 

[Adair M]

Marie,

Ah! Now we know what it is! It has naturally short needles, and can produce very dense growth.

I'm not going to TELL you what to do, but I'll make some suggestions...

Go read Eric Schaeffer's thread? "A few pine seeds 5 years later". That and several other of Eric's threads show how he has developed spectacular JBP growing them in colendars. They're far more convenient than growing the ground.

Work the roots? Let's say you plant it as is in the ground. And 5 years later when you dig it up you find circling roots and/or the roots are one sided. This will take another 5 or so years to fix.

Or, you could spend an hour this spring and have great roots 5 years later.

Next, I highly encourage you to go read Jonas' blog, "Bonsai Tonight". He does all kinds of bonsai, but especially JBP. At all stages of growth. Someone here went through his blog and categorized all the posts by topic. It's an amazing resource.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I was the kid in class that annoyed the school teacher, because I kept correcting her mistakes. In simili modo, I think I was annoying to others. Trying not to do that anymore. See the thread that Adair referred to here

 

[markyscott]

Most kotobuki seedlings that Ive seen have been grafted. Is yours? It looks as though it may be from the photo.

Scott

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

I found 2 of them (kotobuki) last spring. A big one (100cm) and a small one 30cm. The big one i placed in the ground (ugly graft) to make a garden tree and use as parent tree for grafting. The little one i've put in a pond basket to work on the roots... The graft is to high too... I'm planning to low graft on some JBP next year. I've read they should perform like normal JBP.

 

[Paulpash]

Ok so change of substrate and root work it is & into a pond basket. Rake out / bare root half this year then the other half next? Spread the raked out portion in as radial a fashion as possible then rinse and repeat next year if healthy? Is this about right?

 

[Adair M]

Marie,

You are a fast learner! (I wish I were! LOL!)

Good plan! I wish you the best.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Just be carefull with watering. The "new" substrate will drain and dry fast. The other won't.

 

[sdavis]

kotobuki availability

This JBP variety (Kotobuki) is available from Stanley and Sons Nursery in Oregon.

(www.stanleyandsons.com)