Recent content by tanlu

Indeed… It’s rare to find ppl who know about JWP bonsai at all stages of development, can communicate that knowledge well, and are as willing to readily share that knowledge at any time. Wish him (and his trees) the best!

Hey @Adair M, I’ve been combing through old JWP posts since I’ve dug my second 18 y/o seedling out of the ground this year. I think you are correct about there being a point when the juvenile bark splits and reveals the mature brown bark beneath. My two trees had large, thick flakes that were...

You’ll have to share how that goes for you. I think this is a topic many would like to discuss here more in detail

Sorry to hear. I’ve certainly been there. I lost a beautiful, very old red spruce yamadori, among other precious trees, due to heat stress. I learned that I can’t keep bonsai in small beautiful pots given my busy schedule. I just keep them in Tokoname training pots for now and will worry about...

Sphagnum? I’ve tried that too and find it effective at not only maintaining moisture but also its lighter color reflects the hottest midday sun.

Nice tree! Is it grafted? JWP roots are much less tolerant of heat than JBP roots, so that’s something to be mindful of. I’m in your area and grow several JWP on their own roots. Contrary to what others say, JWP in our hot humid climate love consistent moisture during warmer months. They just...

I’ve been purchasing Mt Ishizuchi (Shikoku island) JWP seedlings from Julian Adams for years, and recently 3 other JWP seedlings (northern Honshu variety) from another vendor. All of the Ishizuchi JWP seedlings exhibited the typical gorgeous silvery, blue-green needles that are relatively...

I’ve been trying to learn more about this topic. Based on what I’ve read and conversations with Julian Adams (also stated in his book on pines) that JWP varieties are a real thing because over time isolated groups of trees eventually develop similar characteristics given the local...

@MichaelS It sounds like you’ve worked with ungrafted JWP more than most ppl on this forum. I share Yashu’s sentiment about grafts and have been growing JWP seedlings for 15+ years (learning from my mistakes) and have finally gotten 1 of those trees to the point where I can focus on refinement...

Cool. That’s what bonsai is about. Nature is already follows those rules, too, and that’s what I do as well.

First off, I apologize to @johng for giving the impression that I think he’s an amateur. I meant no disrespect. Thanks for letting me know, as this was not my intention. I’ve seen his other postings and can tell he has many years of experience, which I respect. I may PM him in the future about...

I’m late to comment, but felt motivated to share my two cents about Tennessee Wholesale Nursery. I also tried ordering 2 pitch pines from them in 2020 and they arrived bare rooted and dead. I believe they were actually pitch pines, but what’s the point of selling barerooted trees if they’re...

Looks like it’s starting to bark up nicely at the base. How did you go about collecting it? Were you able to get all the feeder roots closer to the trunk or did you have to chop around the perimeter of the tree previous spring to stimulate root growth closer to the trunk? What kind of soil was...

These are based on general design principles, in this case: contrast, flow, and negative space. Contrast is achieved through differences in height and trunk thickness. Flow is achieved through the direction of overall growth (trunk and branch). Negative space is actually one of the key elements...

I’m a bit late to comment here, but here’s my two cents: As a pair, the composition is much better. I like the forms you’ve come up with, too. It’s reminiscent of how VA pines appear in nature. Some ideas: - the composition would greatly benefit from allowing one tree to thicken slightly and...