imported shohin white pine

[Daniel son STL]

Picked this up from eBay a month of so back. I’ve got jbp’s, European white, and a few mugos. I’ve always loved jwp foliage and when I saw this one I felt as if I had no choice but to make an offer

Ive seen these twisted pines before (wire left in I’m sure), but there’s usually something off or that I find unpleasant structural wise that for the $, it just isn’t worth it. This one seems to have the branches in the right places, graft is decent, and I love shohin although it’s 9” tall. 30 years old supposedly.



Let me know what you guys think.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Having a little fun...

 

[Daniel son STL]

This is the first grafted tree I’ve had the pleasure of caring for. If anybody has any experience to share or links to info on white pine grafted onto black pine trunk would be great. As of now I’ve just been treating like a jwp and not over watering. Seems happy

 

[Potawatomi13]

Honestly .......... where wire is grown in will be years to grow to obscure. Personally would grow bigger tree to hasten this process. Also would grow foliage to hide graft scar. Tree looks healthy, current branching well placed. You should have got stellar deal on this.

 

[jaco94]

Very nice little pine!

The grafting is discreet, too bad for the traces of wire on the trunk but the perfect tree (without any defect) is very rare to find and the price is proportional.

Grafting is an ingenious technique, which combines the qualities of two different tree species, white pine for the beauty and small size of the needles, black pine for its robustness and its more imposing trunk.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Sorry guys but the wire bite is there to stay. It’s a big part of the reason I purchased the tree lmao literally! It gives a twisted look and adds to the character.

Funny how you say a tree with no defects is hard to find. This may be the only tree I own that I feel is close to perfect not needing much done to it.

Yeah the twisted look from the wire is one of the trees best characteristics imo and I don’t want that to ever fade.

A twisted imported shohin tree almost as old as me.... yeah I got this tree for a stellar deal, practically given to me! Lmao again.... NOPE

 

[Daniel son STL]

Honestly, leaving the wire in is not for everybody. Personally the twisted looking bark though is what drew me to the tree. I don’t think that characteristic of the tree could ever fully heal even if I wanted it to.

 

[Adair M]

Sorry guys but the wire bite is there to stay. It’s a big part of the reason I purchased the tree lmao literally! It gives a twisted look and adds to the character.

Funny how you say a tree with no defects is hard to find. This may be the only tree I own that I feel is close to perfect not needing much done to it.

Yeah the twisted look from the wire is one of the trees best characteristics imo and I don’t want that to ever fade.

A twisted imported shohin tree almost as old as me.... yeah I got this tree for a stellar deal, practically given to me! Lmao again.... NOPE

It is what it is. Over the years, you’ll enjoy this little tree. It’ll teach you how to wire, build pads, etc. The foliage quality is nice, and it’s something that will look like a “finished bonsai” on your table. Is a “Nationals quality” tree? No, and never will be. But it is something that will look nice and teach you.

These things are the “black Velvet Elvis paintings” of bonsai. Mass produced “art”. Some are better than others.

I have one. It’s older than yours so the wire scars and bumps are a little less apparent than yours, but it has bad reverse taper right at the soil line. Ugh. But I enjoy it nonetheless. It’s a “club show” quality tree.




when I bought this tree, it had recently been wired by Peter Tea. Unfortunately, when he wired it, he broke the apex, and he applied his cut paste, but it didn’t work and it died out. So, I’ve had to rebuild the apex. And I restyled it in the process. All part of the fun! That pot, I bought from Peter a few days after his return from Japan apprenticeship. So, even though I’ve restyled the tree completely differently than it was, I still refer to it as my “Peter Tea” tree! Lol!!!

Here is a tree from Felix Laughlin’s garden:



It is also a grafted JWP on JBP stock, and it, too, once had wire embedded. And still does in places. If you look carefully, you can see the lines in the bark showing where the wires are embedded. Far older than either of our trees, close to 100 years old, I suspect. This one IS “National Show” quality! Lol!!!

So, if you can keep your tree alive long enough, maybe your tree can look like Felix’s some day!

 

[jaco94]

Totally agree, it's a very nice shohin with potential .
For the wire traces, it's a matter of taste, I don't mind that.

Moreover, its marks on the trunk remind me a little of one of my old white pines, unfortunately I have not managed to keep it for more than a few years, I think that my care should not suit it, moreover, the difference in climate with Japan should not make things easier.
Good luck to you with this lovely little tree.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Nice tree Adair!
Yes I agree my little tree will never be a masterpiece, and yes it is a cookie cutter piece of Japanese art. This one just struck me, over others I’ve seen.

Keeping the tree shohin size I’m not sure those scars will dissipate like yours however, but like I said, I love the wire lines.

This is one of my best trees and am super stoked to have it on my benches. I guess one mans toilet water is another’s champagne!

 

[Adair M]

Totally agree, it's a very nice shohin with potential .
For the wire traces, it's a matter of taste, I don't mind that.

Moreover, its marks on the trunk remind me a little of one of my old white pines, unfortunately I have not managed to keep it for more than a few years, I think that my care should not suit it, moreover, the difference in climate with Japan should not make things easier.
Good luck to you with this lovely little tree.

View attachment 322095

This tree would be vastly improved by using the wire to pull the branches down so that they run more horizontal than the current styling which is how deciduous trees grow: up.

Doing so would expose the woody part of the branches to the sun which will aid in getting it to back bud. They don’t back bud readily, but it you have it growing like this, it NEVER will because the foliage will block the sun. This tree will only get leggier and leggier otherwise.

Go back and look at the two trees I posted. Both my tree and Felix’s tree have the primary branches pulled down. Felix’s tree looks like it’s due for a bit of wiring, but still, you can see that the branches are set to grow “out”, not “up”.

 

[Adair M]

Nice tree Adair!
Yes I agree my little tree will never be a masterpiece, and yes it is a cookie cutter piece of Japanese art. This one just struck me, over others I’ve seen.

Keeping the tree shohin size I’m not sure those scars will dissipate like yours however, but like I said, I love the wire lines.

This is one of my best trees and am super stoked to have it on my benches. I guess one mans toilet water is another’s champagne!

The wire scars will become less apparent over time. That’s the black Pine stock, and black Pine makes good bark.

My tree is 15 inches tall above the rim, so it’s not exactly huge. Felix’s tree is about 2 1/2 feet or so. Much larger.

As a contrast to your tree, here is a different style of grafted JWP on JBP Stock:




This little tree is about the same size as yours, 10 inches above the rim. It is made differently: there’s two grafts. One is the top, and the second graft is the low branch on the left. It is not wire embedded, so no wire scarring.

This fall, I’m planning on wiring it, and hopefully lowering the apex to keep it “Shohin”.

I’m guessing this tree is probably about the same age as yours. The embedded wire in your tree caused the swelling that makes your trunk fatter. Which is why they do it, of course.

It will be interesting to see how your tree and mine develop over the years!

 

[Adair M]

Picked this up from eBay a month of so back. I’ve got jbp’s, European white, and a few mugos. I’ve always loved jwp foliage and when I saw this one I felt as if I had no choice but to make an offer

Ive seen these twisted pines before (wire left in I’m sure), but there’s usually something off or that I find unpleasant structural wise that for the $, it just isn’t worth it. This one seems to have the branches in the right places, graft is decent, and I love shohin although it’s 9” tall. 30 years old supposedly.

View attachment 322039View attachment 322040View attachment 322041

Let me know what you guys think.

Hmmm... It’s hard to tell without having the tree in front of me, but I kinda like the last image as the front. One of the reasons I prefer it is the other image has that section just below the apex that goes straight up. Since the bottom trunk has good movement, that straight vertical section seems out of place. Either hide it with foliage or change it with the planting angle, or viewing angle...

Lots of fun to be had! Lol!!!

 

[Daniel son STL]

Thanks for all the advise once again Adair!

Good point about the straight section leading to the apex. If your referring to the angle I think you are as the proposed front, we’re in agreement. As it does hide the straight section a bit. Angle change could be a good option as well. I’ll have to repot this spring anyway bc the previous owner just has the tree sitting in the pot with a retarded wire wrapping around the trunk and tied to one spot a bottom of the pot. Not secure in the pot at all.

Went ahead and pulled branches down about as much as I could

Before


After

 

[Adair M]

Something to think about... you might want to see if there’s a branch that you could move to partially obscure a portion of the main trunk.

Look at my two trees posted above, and Felix’s. See how there’s a bit of foliage that partially covers over a bit of the trunk here and there? Doing that 1) creates a bit of mystery; and 2) creates a feeling of extra depth.

Again, that’s another reason I’m wondering if you have chosen the best front. (You might have - as I said, I can’t tell Without having the tree in front of me.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Daniel son STL
Nice tree, I'd be proud of it too. Your first couple branches were already going out and down, it really is only the apex, where the straight vertical segment is, as being the main problem area. Honestly, this is nice and should bring you many years of joy.

 

[Peter@Bonsainut2020]

Adair would you let me know what soil mix do you use for your JWP please. Thanks

 

[Adair M]

Adair would you let me know what soil mix do you use for your JWP please. Thanks

Boon Mix. Equal parts akadama, lava (scoria), and pumice. With a handful of granite grit and a handful of horticultural charcoal thrown in.

Or, “Clay King” an imported soil mix from Japan to which I add 25% pumice.

All sieved.

The Clay King costs about the same as straight akadama, so I’ll use it if I can get it. Easier.

 

[Peter@Bonsainut2020]

Thanks Adair . Did you have tried mix with Turface for conifers bonsai before?

 

[JoeR]

As far as imported JWP go I don't mind the imbedded wire scars on this one at all, quite a find IMO. I've looked through pages and pages of much uglier imported JWP than this. Just enjoy it for what it is. I like the front from the last picture more than the current front