Wulfskaar's Bristlecone Pine from seed

[MaciekA]

I’m relieved one was bristlecone, because I feel like I kicked off some disappointment on your end with my picking at the pictures. But also, bristlecone is truly sublime as a species to grow and work with and it’s good to have at least one! Good luck with it!

 

[Wulfskaar]

I’m relieved one was bristlecone, because I feel like I kicked off some disappointment on your end with my picking at the pictures. But also, bristlecone is truly sublime as a species to grow and work with and it’s good to have at least one! Good luck with it!

I'm actually really happy you pointed this out, and I don't mind being called out as long as it leads to the truth. It just means I have more species to work with!
It appears I have 3 bristlecones, and 6 ABP. I should have seen the difference in the trees. Now I can't unsee it.

 

[Wulfskaar]

The actual Bristlecones are having more growth now than they ever have at roughly 4 1/2 years old. There is green side growth and the ends have buds extending and pushing needles. They finally seem to be doing better.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I am very happy to see you have Bristlecones and not all seeds were mislabeled. If Mackie had not commented I would have as I have 9 Bristlecones and Foxtails and know them well. They are my last trees to grow in the Spring.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I am very happy to see you have Bristlecones and not all seeds were mislabeled. If Mackie had not commented I would have as I have 9 Bristlecones and Foxtails and know them well. They are my last trees to grow in the Spring.

Yeah, I'm very happy he said something. All that time I thought some were sick and some were doing great lol!

 

[doc spring _work]

Yeah, I'm very happy he said something. All that time I thought some were sick and some were doing great lol!

Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

 

[Wulfskaar]

Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

Here are all 3 of mine. They are 5 years old at this point, and still tiny. Only this year did they start to actually pick up some growth. They are still too small to do anything with.

Also, I haven't noticed any candles, only spots where new needles grow from. The new needles are very soft and beautiful. And they smell amazing.

I would recommend trying to get one that's already been growing a while to save yourself a large chunk of your life. Trees like JBP I would say go for it, but not these. It will probably be at least 10 more years before I can do much with these.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Been reading up on bristlecone and have been considering buying some seeds for a forest planting, have you done anything with yours yet?

I know they are incredibly slow growers and suspectable to root rot but I'm curious about candle removal...

I wonder if they can have their candles removed and left to backbud? Mainly because the needles can remain on a tree from 10-17 years (according to my reading)

So just curious if you've played with yours much in the 5 years youve been growing the 3 bristlecones and mislabeled ABP's

(I'll resume crawling around for more data since I'm stuck in a car lol)

As you live in Utah You should have some aristata or possibly longaeva somewhere near you where you could pick a cone and do it the fun way. This is a great time to find a ripe one.. If you do this be sure it is brown and ripe and not still purple/immature.

 

[doc spring _work]

As you live in Utah You should have some aristata or possibly longaeva somewhere near you where you could pick a cone and do it the fun way. This is a great time to find a ripe one.. If you do this be sure it is brown and ripe and not still purple/immature.

I've been staring at maps and figuring out my best choices for collecting, theres a peak about 100 miles from my house that seems promising.

Range on maps indicate I should only need to hike a mile or 2 which is a life saver since I still walk on a cane.

But if that doesn't work the jonsteen company (which Ill have some seedlings arriving from Tomorrow) does have a grow kit for some Astra for 10.99, there's also a replacement guarantee on them...

But I really would love to take my rusty jeep into the mountains and to get some inspiration

(Also curious what the soil at this small pocket looks like since the more eastern range does thrive on unique soils and from what I've read they don't handle competition well)

Honestly I should be getting ready to handle my 60 seedlings that'll be arriving soon...

But I'm currently on a bristlecone itch, which is very much out of character for me since I deeply love material and especially faster material. I'm also very curious about trying some things on the material...

There is also a rather pricey nursery nearby that claims they have bristlecone... But they don't know the scientific name for any of their materials so idk what kind they supposedly have

 

[Wulfskaar]

@doc spring _work I look forward to seeing what you get!

 

[Potawatomi13]

I've been staring at maps and figuring out my best choices for collecting, theres a peak about 100 miles from my house that seems promising.

Range on maps indicate I should only need to hike a mile or 2 which is a life saver since I still walk on a cane.

But if that doesn't work the jonsteen company (which Ill have some seedlings arriving from Tomorrow) does have a grow kit for some Astra for 10.99, there's also a replacement guarantee on them...

But I really would love to take my rusty jeep into the mountains and to get some inspiration

(Also curious what the soil at this small pocket looks like since the more eastern range does thrive on unique soils and from what I've read they don't handle competition well)

Honestly I should be getting ready to handle my 60 seedlings that'll be arriving soon...

But I'm currently on a bristlecone itch, which is very much out of character for me since I deeply love material and especially faster material. I'm also very curious about trying some things on the material...

There is also a rather pricey nursery nearby that claims they have bristlecone... But they don't know the scientific name for any of their materials so idk what kind they supposedly have

To ID them at a nursery or the wild aristata normally has a lot of white specks on the needles. Longaeva has few to none of these. Are you getting 60 Bristlecone seedlings?

 

[doc spring _work]

To ID them at a nursery or the wild aristata normally has a lot of white specks on the needles. Longaeva has few to none of these. Are you getting 60 Bristlecone seedlings?

Oh no I see the misunderstanding, I'll be getting 30 bald cypress and 30 dawn redwood today... Idk what I'd do with 60 bristlecone pines my patience isn't that grand!

 

[Potawatomi13]

Oh no I see the misunderstanding, I'll be getting 30 bald cypress and 30 dawn redwood today... Idk what I'd do with 60 bristlecone pines my patience isn't that grand!

I think patience is a virtue we learn from bonsai if we do it right.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@doc spring _work
I'm over 70 years old these days. From seed, realistically, it will take at least 15 to 20 years before a Pinus aristata or any other of the 3 bristlecone species to have enough size and branches to even think about beginning to do serious bonsai styling. Preferably an even older piece of nursery stock would be best to start with. True, from day one you can do the occasional tweak to the seedling development to encourage it to become ready to begin its bonsai journey. But as @Wulfskaar 's photos show, even 5 years into the project of raising a bristle cone pine from seed, you still have "just a seedling". It is well worth laying out some money, within reason, to pick up 20 to 40 year old nursery stock, so that you don't have to spend decades in the "nurseryman phase" of raising bonsai with bristle cone pines.

Now I do want to say I think @Wulfskaar has done a nice job of developing his seedlings so far. A good start, and I want to encourage him to keep on taking these seedlings forward. He is young enough he will have a good chance of enjoying the results. Myself at 70+ years old, I may have every intention of growing a batch of bristlecone seedlings to the point where one makes it to the Nationals before I die, but my better bet, would be to start a batch of JBP and maybe some Chinese elms. I just don't have that many years left.

time, that is where the check book, or venmo bonsai comes in handy. If you don't have the time to spend on the nurseryman's phase of tree development, buy a tree with the early work done.

But again Wulfskaar, you are on the right track. Keep it going.

 

[Wulfskaar]

@Leo in N E Illinois Thanks for that.

Beyond being a slow-grower, my care for these started at the absolute rookie level. They also aren't getting any real winter. I think these things have made them grow even slower. The seeds came from the same seed pack as my Austrian Black Pines, so I thought the bristlecones were just sick, so I kept them in the sick bay.

Still, getting older ones will definitely save a ton of time for anyone, so that's what I would recommend if you want a decent bonsai before moving on to the next phase of existence.

All 3 of my bristlecones are also still in 4" pots. I plan to up-pot in late winter to give them a bit more room to grow. I think they'll take off in the next couple years in a bigger pot. One of them I had set on my Stone Pine, and the roots immediately escaped and started growing into that. This year, they've grown more than ever.

 

[doc spring _work]

Still, getting older ones will definitely save a ton of time for anyone, so that's what I would recommend if you want a decent bonsai before moving on to the next phase of existence.

[Preferably an even older piece of nursery stock would be best to start with. True, from day one you can do the occasional tweak to the seedling development to encourage it to become ready to begin its bonsai journey.

I did stroll through some pretty awful soil to look at the bristlecones, unfortunately someone bought the three healthy looking trees that were around 5 ft.

There where three other bristlecones at the nursery that were around 3 ft, condition was iffy... I figured if the price was right I would risk it however.... $567 for a tree that I'm unsure will survive another year seems like a really poor decision