Pinus strobus or virginiana?

I picked this one up at a garden center about two and a half years ago. it was labeled as a EWP, but I think it may be virginiana. Could I tell by counting the needles?
When I first got him I saw off the bottom 3rd of the rootball and put it in the pond basket with some grittier stuff on the bottom and out sides. This spring I tried a backbudding technique that I picked up in Herb Gustafson's book: Bonsai Workshop. I removed all of the buds from the tree, this spring as soon as they started to elongate. New buds formed a month or so later, next to the trunk on many of the branches including at the base of one of the first branches.
He is way overdue for a real repotting to get the original soil out from around the base of the tree. I may try to do half this fall and half in the spring, although I still need to see how much strength it gathers over the summer. To be honest, I am not really sure where I am going with this design-wise and am very much open to suggestions, although perhaps during repotting the base that is currently covered will give me a better idea of where to go.
sorry for the lousy photo.. I was trying to snap a few before it started to rain.

From the looks of the bark I would say it is Strobus, Virginiana would have redish flaking bark. Strobus has 5 needles and Virginiana has 2 needles.
Ken

Stobus.




Will

Thanks for the help! Any ideas for the design? I will focus on the roots now that I have some back budding, so I have plenty of time to think about it, but I am guessing I'll be growing a new trunk from that bud at the beginning of the first branch.

Thanks again,
David

I repotted this guy at the National Arboretum repotting workshop last weekend and now we have temperatures dipping below freezing this weekend. Should I bring in for a couple days or leave it out? Unfortunately, I don't have a cold frame or any in the middle environment to put it in.

Thanks for any advice,
David

MrFancyPlants wrote:I repotted this guy at the National Arboretum repotting workshop last weekend and now we have temperatures dipping below freezing this weekend. Should I bring in for a couple days or leave it out? Unfortunately, I don't have a cold frame or any in the middle environment to put it in.

Thanks for any advice,
David

David,

I'd suggest that you bring it in when the temps are scheduled to dip below freezing. If your day temps are above freezing leave it out during the day and just bring it in at nightfall for protection.

RAndy

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A few years late and progress is slow, but I think it is coming along. I may even repot into slightly smaller pot this spring and try and plant it a little deeper while I am at it.

Instead of going for the smaller pot I put it back into the pond basket to develop. My friend who is very good at wiring says he likes to wire this one since the needles are so soft. I've thought of going with a weeping style for this, but I know some pines like to have the tips wired in an upward direction.. Maybe an upside down pot?

MrFancyPlants wrote:I've thought of going with a weeping style for this, but I know some pines like to have the tips wired in an upward direction.. Maybe an upside down pot?

???
upside down pot ???
???

how do you mean ?

Sometimes in order to encourage "cascading" growth on an apically dominant species, the plant and soil is strapped in and the pot is placed sideways or even suspended upside down. I don't know that I have seen a real convincing specimen by this technique and I am even less sure that this particular subject is suited for the technique, just an idea.