JBP bonsai from landscape nursery piece?

I went out of town this past weekend and passed by a nursery coming home. I saw a Japanese Black Pine (JBP) in a (looks like) 40 gallon pot and definitely destined for landscaping.

(I am going with memory here and not really sure if my recollection is accurate) The tree is about 6 feet tall with at least 3" trunk (most likely more). The whorls are spaced about 18" with the lowest about 24" from the base. The lowest whorl probably have 6 branches coming out of it and have a bulge . There are lots of small "suckers" growing at the base but I didn't see the nebari since it is buried.

Question is, can it be chopped down just above the 1st whorl and maybe styled into bonsai eventually? Reason I am aggressively considering this is because of the price (only $95.00) for a descent sized tree with nice matured bark but so-so trunk movement. I believe the window to do a trunk chop is fast closing and have to be done ASAP or wait till next year. Luckily, we have a longer growing season here in TX so I still have some time but want to do it within the next 2 weeks if ever.

I will be passing that place again next weekend and would appreciate any advise/help whether purchasing the tree is advisable or not.

hi Dario,
do proper black pines have suckers at the base ?

there are 3 ways to go ....to do a short compact powerfull tree all you need is the lower trunk and the best branch from the 1st whorl - everything else is removed. this will give fast taper and you make the new branches from the side shoots of the branch. let the leader grow free to thicken it all up and lessen the step down from trunk to branch.

second way to do a traditional tree is keep 2 opposite branches from the whorl - shorten one as the first branch and wire one up as the leader, replant at 45 degees at some stage.

the final tree is a cascade - 2 branches from the 1st whorl again - trunk leaned right over so one branch drops below the pot and build the crown from the second branch.

good project tree for your BP - dont forget to start some seeds though - they are good fun.

cheers Marcus

Marcus,

Thanks for the tip! I am leaning towards the 2nd (traditional tree) but will check again once I see the tree the 2nd time.

"do proper black pines have suckers at the base ?"
I am not sure (I'm still dumb about pines ) but they may help thicken the base...also may be good to have that extra foliage after the chop?

hi,
this is part 2 of a post about landscape BP to bonsai in case you havent seen it yet

BP landscape project

cheers Marcus

Marcus,

I did see that yesterday as I am searching online. Thanks a lot still.

The one I saw is nothing close to the specimen he is working on though...maybe the pot size and plant's height but that is it. LOL. It is a good tutorial and shows it can be done. One thing that was pointed out to me on another forum that he also did here is to leave a long stub on my cut.

Dario,
I think the reason that the one that Jonas is working on looks pretty good after the chop is the distance of the branches (which have been pruned like a Japanese Garden specimen tree) and the taper. Of course the nebari doesn't hurt either! You may have to do some exploring with this JBP you're talking about to see if the low branches you call suckers are part of the tree, what the actual taper looks like and how the nebari sorts out. And then are you going to be able to fit a 40 gal pot in your car???
I've never found a good large JBP landscape tree-to-Bonsai specimen yet to try, they've all looked too coarse and the spacing too far apart. About 10 years ago I bought 2 as one gallon sized plants though, but even after this time, they're still not ready to show. JBP are long term projects! If you've found a good one though.. the price sounds right.

Joey,

The suckers are part of the tree, I see them coming out of the base but are still small. Just nice to know that if all else fails, I might have a small sumo stump to work with LOL. The tree (even after chopped) will most likely not fit my car (though you will be amazed what I can load it) but my in-laws drive a Toyota Tundra. I plan on having them pass by and pick it up during one of their trips back here this summer .

I am not sure if I will get it yet...just checking my options. The branch as I described are well spaced apart so it might not work as planned but hopefully it will back bud as it is showing at the base. I have a lot of stumps anyway...what's adding one more? LOL