May Club Meeting: Pines
On a mild autumn evening, over 40 BSV members gathered to hear Scott talk about growing and maintaining Japanese Black Pines. Scott briefly outlined the key aspects of growing Black Pines as bonsai and then proceeded to assist members with their own pines.
Some of the points made by Scott are listed below:
Autumn/Winter - bud selection, needle plucking, feeding, wiring and styling.
Spring - candle breaking and feeding.
Summer - decandling and energy balancing.
Many of these activities are focussed on balancing growth. Scott promotes the "Goldilocks Approach" - not too strong and not too weak.
Needle plucking - best to work from top down and ensure plucking in the same direction of the needles to avoid damage to the branch.
Avoid spiking yourself by working up and under.
Black Pines need full sun and air movement.
Feed well in autumn and spring.
A significant time investment is required to properly maintained black pine bonsai.
Scott talking about maintaining Japanese Black Pines
Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii
Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii
Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii
Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii
Japanese Black Pine - Pinus thunbergii
Chinese Quince - Pseudocydonia sinensi
Japanese Maple - Acer palmatum