Pinus Strobus! Really?

I always hesitated to add Pinus Strobus to my collection since I read that inter-nodes, needles grow too long and the trees does not like to be pruned at all. Prove me wrong!

Early this year I found the White Pine in the picture below, almost neglected and hidden in an alley between all sorts of pine trees in a local nursery. After I took a closer look, I learned that the tree, btw 20" height and a trunk diameter of 4" growing only in a 3-gallon container. Wow - Great pre-bonsai material. I decided to take the tree home, put it into a mica training pot without doing anything major to the roots. Here is the tree now after a half year. I know it still has a long way to go and I have not decided about the future look yet, but I did not regret buying Pinus Strobus.



BTW – Can we add a Pre-Bonsai Forum?

Pinus strobus is eastern white pine, right? I have seen photos of some decent bonsai with this species, so I know it can be done. Do you have a plan in mind?

Your suggestion about a pre-bonsai sub-forum is worth pursuing, I think. I've got some things I'd like to post but don't feel they really belong in any of the current sub-forums.

Chris

I think the right place to post pre bonsai is in the Questions area, since hopefully you would asking for comments on how to proceed.

Not necessarily...people probably have trees that they're working on and are developing well, they know where they're going...and just want to share what they're working on. Others will have questions, of course.

Chris

You know entering into my 4th season doing bonsai I think the most important thing I have learned in that time is that Bonsai is say 50% finding GOOD material to work with, the other 50% is everything we do to it..

I think you found excellent material there, was it labeled Strobus on a tag from the nursery??
-Jay

i think a pre bonsai is just a bit of material that is on route, so if you know what you are doing with it it can be posted in the bonsai section and the thread can be classed as progression once you have a few pictures actually showing progression ie several years work completed before posting the thread. if you know what you're doing there is no great need to rush bits of material into threads until the results are worth seeing really

if you want advice or are not sure about a piece of material then the place to put it is in the questions section, and this post could be done when the plant is still in the material stage rather than waiting.

then there would be the definition to get clear - many people think they have 'finished' bonsai trees but often they are very much still in the 'pre-bonsai' stage of their life ie still with heavy wire on main branches, unhealed scars from branch removal etc and these fit happily in the bonsai section already as well.

Thank you Chris and Jay for the reply.

Yes, the tree was labeled "Strobus" from the nursery and if I am not mistaken it is "Pinus Strobus Nana". I agree, finding good material is half the fun working towards Bonsai.

Jay, the tree is also known as eastern white pine. Well that's what Wikipedia says as well.

mmehrmann wrote:Thank you Chris and Jay for the reply.

Yes, the tree was labeled "Strobus" from the nursery and if I am not mistaken it is "Pinus Strobus Nana". I agree, finding good material is half the fun working towards Bonsai.

Jay, the tree is also known as eastern white pine. Well that's what Wikipedia says as well.

Then you scored my brother, NICE find

The key here is that it is a dwarf variety. That makes a big difference. Standard P. strobus from a nursery are generally not bonsai material. Sometimes you can get very striking yamadori from the mountains. In the case of dwarf cultivars from a nursery, it depends on which variety & how the specimen shapes up. You have a lucky find. I hope it behaves for you.
I don't know why, but in UK, P. strobus is called Weymouth pine.
Iris

bonsaisr wrote:The key here is that it is a dwarf variety. That makes a big difference.

Thank you Iris. I think "Nana" is generally used as a "catch all term" for many trees as a dwarf, if I am not mistaken.

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:I think the right place to post pre bonsai is in the Questions area, since hopefully you would asking for comments on how to proceed.

\

YES!

How is your tree shaping up? Is it grafted? Nowadays, all the named pine cultivars in the nurseries are grafted.
I have spent 20 years trying to grow a white pine bonsai as the Great Tree of Peace of the Iroquois. Most of them were unsuitable or died. I tried P. parviflora 'Zuisho,' but that died last fall. With pines, by the time the needles turn white the tree has been dead for months & you can only guess what killed it. I put it down to side effects of surgery.
Too expensive to try again.
I just ordered a Pinus strobus 'Nana' from a nearby nursery. The lady was very nice, even sent me a picture. I will pick it up next week. If it doesn't work, I'm only out $22. The graft is down at the bottom. The two barks look identical, so it should become inconspicuous.
According to the literature, there are several cultivars of P. strobus sold under the name 'Nana,' but they are all pretty much alike.
Iris

Thank you for asking Iris. The tree is doing very well. Though I did not do anything with the tree yet. I was very surprised that the tree did not loose any needles in fall/winter but now after the new candles expand pretty much all old 2/3 year old needles are gone. I will take few pictures in the next days. Good luck with your "Nana"

JimLewis wrote:

Billy M. Rhodes wrote:I think the right place to post pre bonsai is in the Questions area, since hopefully you would asking for comments on how to proceed.

YES!

NO!

Michael is showing off what can be created with run-of-the-mill nursery stock. I don't see him asking any questions, maybe he already has his plan formulated and doesn't care for opinions.

I guess "pre-bonsai" and where they belong are in the eyes of the beholder, this one looks pretty good to me right here. Michael has done a nice job with underutilized material. I've done the same thing in this forum, maybe one day they can be moved to the "progressions" forum.

Please keep us posted, I'd like to see how this works out.