Mature japanese black pine bonsai

Download these instructions. The Japanese black pine is a native of Japan and is arguably one of the most classic of bonsai pine species. The Black Pine is a very vigorous tree that is commonly grown in Japan in parks and ornamental gardens where impressive heights of up to 25 feet and an outreaching spread of feet are commonly reached. Black Pines are very tolerant of poor conditions, surviving in nature on barren, stony soils. White pines are frequently grafted onto the more vigorous Black pine rootstock to improve its vigor and growth-rate. Being extremely hearty and disease free makes the Black Pine bonsai perfect for beginners and masters alike.

There is a lot to say about decandling pine bonsai. There are as many approaches to decandling as there are bonsai professionals, and many of these approaches have merit. Decandling refers to a set of cultivation techniques that focus on the removal of spring growth from red or black pines to stimulate a second flush of growth in summer. Removing a spring shoot from a Japanese black pine — the primary act of decandling. The term typically refers to more than the simple act of removing spring candles as the timing of the practice and various techniques relating to after care have a large effect on the results of the practice. As spring growth develops on red and black pines, the emerging shoots can be said to resemble candles. As used here, however, the term decandling refers to the removal of spring shoots after the new needles have emerged.

It requires a variety of skills and it takes a long time. That said, the process of starting bonsai from scratch can be very rewarding — whether or not you end up with a masterpiece. The basics of growing pines from seed are simple — place seeds in planting medium, water, wait for seedlings to appear. As bonsai enthusiasts, however, we can refine this process a bit. The first step begins with selecting the right parent tree.

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. View our other bonsai care guides. Pinus thunbergii is considered a classic bonsai tree. It is native to - and common in - Japan, and can grow upwards of feet tall in ideal conditions.