Potting up pines

Managed to get another 30 JBP seedlings potted up today.

These seedlings were left over from last Spring. They’ve been siting in the seed tray all last summer and through the winter. Very crowded so they have not grown much but will still be OK to pot up.

JBP seedlings

After separating the seedlings we end up with something like this.

Because we are growing bonsai we want good nebari. That means removing any deeper roots so these trees will concentrate root growth on lateral roots. No need to be scared, seedlings are programmed to grow roots so we can cut seedling roots fearlessly. Often i cut roots much harder than shown here.

Pine seedlings generally have few side shoots as they prefer to grow tall and straight. If left as they are that will produce a long, bare trunk. There’s a few techniques to overcome that natural tendency. Today I’ve decided to wire and bend some of the seedlings which will reduce the effective length of that lower trunk as well as giving the future trunk some bends.

Spring 2024

You may have noticed I have not updated here for some time. I’ve been spending too much time on other projects but have resolved to post here more often. Lets just see how long that resolution lasts.

Spring has definitely sprung earlier than usual here at Shibui Bonsai The trident maples are starting to open buds and my bonsai crab apple has flowers opening. Maybe some pictures of that in a few days at peak flower.

The deciduous trees have been dug from the grow beds, pruned and assessed. trees for sale are now potted and the trunks that were not yet ready to sell have been replanted for another year of growth.

Today I potted up some Japanese black pine seedlings. These are left over from last spring and have been crowded together in a seed tray all last summer. I’m sure they will be much happier with some space to stretch out their roots.

I also dug the first of the Shimpaku junipers and potted it into a 30cm orchid pot.

While some growers transplant with as much soil on the roots as possible, garden soil can cause problems in a pot so I prefer to get rid of field soil right at the start. My transplants still seem to recover well. Junipers seem to recover from root pruning much better when they have active growing tips so it is important to keep some of the branches intact. You can see in the photos that I have reduced the top by removing some redundant branches but still retained plenty to help the tree recover.

Junipers are slower to recover from transplant than the deciduous trees so these junipers won’t be available for sale until February or March. By then it should be clear which are growing well and any that have not coped with the trauma of transplant.