JBP from seed. First ever attempt
- Thread starter YaBoyMyth
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Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Well done on getting some seeds growing.
It is getting a little late in your summer so how to proceed will depend on how cold winter gets there.
I prick out seedlings any time from when they are large enough to handle but they can also be left to grow for longer. Sometimes some of mine don't get moved until they are a year or 2 old and occasionally even older.
Some growers take seedlings at the stage yours are and make seedling cuttings in the hope that the cutting will have better lateral roots. Does not always work as planned in my experience and with only 4 to play with you may be reluctant to try that yet.
I make a point of cutting the roots of seedlings whenever I transplant to encourage good lateral roots. Again you may be reluctant to do so on your first attempt. Root pruning can always be done at a later transplant when you have more confidence.
One of the reasons for transplanting seedlings early is to give them room to grow faster but yours appear to have plenty of space so transplant is not urgent.
As you can see there are lots of ways to do it. No one way is better than another so feel free to follow the path you feel comfortable with.
It is getting a little late in your summer so how to proceed will depend on how cold winter gets there.
I prick out seedlings any time from when they are large enough to handle but they can also be left to grow for longer. Sometimes some of mine don't get moved until they are a year or 2 old and occasionally even older.
Some growers take seedlings at the stage yours are and make seedling cuttings in the hope that the cutting will have better lateral roots. Does not always work as planned in my experience and with only 4 to play with you may be reluctant to try that yet.
I make a point of cutting the roots of seedlings whenever I transplant to encourage good lateral roots. Again you may be reluctant to do so on your first attempt. Root pruning can always be done at a later transplant when you have more confidence.
One of the reasons for transplanting seedlings early is to give them room to grow faster but yours appear to have plenty of space so transplant is not urgent.
As you can see there are lots of ways to do it. No one way is better than another so feel free to follow the path you feel comfortable with.
YaBoyMyth
Mame
We dont get any frost usually. Maybe below freezing once in the past 6 years. Hot SoCal lol. Yes I read about doing cuttings but like you pointed out with only 4 I’m a little hesitant. As of now the plan is to leave them all together until marchish of next year then I will transplant each into its own pot and prune the tap root. My question is what type of pot should I get? Shallow deep? I know not a bonsai pot until it is ready to be refined correct?
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
There seems to be a big push for shallow pots to develop bonsai now. Proponents clam it helps develop a shallow root system which it does, but root pruning also produces a shallow root system with the added benefit that the roots have usually been controlled and arranged better because we are not relying on the pot to do the work.
Shallow pots dry out quicker so may not give best results in hotter climates. That may not matter if you have well established, reliable watering regime but should be considered if you are just starting out. Anderson flats or similar plastic trays seem to be the go to for developing bonsai over there.
Deeper pots give a much better resilience against the trees drying out. I still seem to get better growth from trees in deeper pots against shallow ones.
Colanders and pond baskets are another current fad. Claims they produce more finer roots may or may not be fact. Regular manual root pruning also gives plenty of well ramified roots. Colanders and mesh pots tend to dry out faster in hotter, drier climates so be prepared to manage watering if you go that way.
Smaller pots will certainly limit growth so if you want the trees to develop fast avoid smaller bonsai pots while the trees are growing and thickening. Smaller pots will give far better refinement but may take years more to achieve the same sizes. Like so many things it is swings and roundabouts. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses. We just need to pick what we are happy with.
Shallow pots dry out quicker so may not give best results in hotter climates. That may not matter if you have well established, reliable watering regime but should be considered if you are just starting out. Anderson flats or similar plastic trays seem to be the go to for developing bonsai over there.
Deeper pots give a much better resilience against the trees drying out. I still seem to get better growth from trees in deeper pots against shallow ones.
Colanders and pond baskets are another current fad. Claims they produce more finer roots may or may not be fact. Regular manual root pruning also gives plenty of well ramified roots. Colanders and mesh pots tend to dry out faster in hotter, drier climates so be prepared to manage watering if you go that way.
Smaller pots will certainly limit growth so if you want the trees to develop fast avoid smaller bonsai pots while the trees are growing and thickening. Smaller pots will give far better refinement but may take years more to achieve the same sizes. Like so many things it is swings and roundabouts. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses. We just need to pick what we are happy with.
YaBoyMyth
Mame
Man so many options and factors to consider. The more I learn the more I see why most bonsai masters are older! I’ve been considering a colander, but as you said I love in a pretty hot climate (101f today) so I’m not too sure. Also I’ve noticed a lot of people use some type of soil vs substrate for pines because of the microrrhiza. Have you noticed if pines do better in soil vs substrate? I have them in boon mix right now
AlainK
Imperial Masterpiece
Browse Jonas Dupuich's website :
bonsaitonight.com
(Not that easy to find the links about JBP, but it's a gold mine once you've find the entrance...)
Bonsai Guides - Bonsai Tonight
Identifying Suitable Material for Bonsai - 5 posts showing what you can and can't learn from trees at different stages of development.
bonsaitonight.com
(Not that easy to find the links about JBP, but it's a gold mine once you've find the entrance...)
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Boon mix is fine if you can keep up with watering needs. No colanders…terra cotta pots, wood boxes or Anderson flats are better for big growth.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
I use the same potting soil for all trees here so i have no idea if pines like inorganic better than organic mix.
Mychorriza will grow wherever conditions are suitable but it is not actually essential to have mychorrhiza if you are providing all the water and nutrient needs for the pines in a form they can use without help from the fungi anyway.
The reasons for so many choices is that they all work more or less. Just different ways to achieve similar outcomes.
Mychorriza will grow wherever conditions are suitable but it is not actually essential to have mychorrhiza if you are providing all the water and nutrient needs for the pines in a form they can use without help from the fungi anyway.
The reasons for so many choices is that they all work more or less. Just different ways to achieve similar outcomes.
Kadebe
Chumono
Why are they better grow for big than colander? First time I read this.
And what size would be best to start?
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Slightly bigger next spring, maybe a 6 or 8” terra cotta bulb pan. Have you been through this forum? We are currently in year 4 of a JBP from seed contest. You can see lots of different ways (and results) people have chosen to grow their pines. They’re only a couple years ahead of yours so it is like a little peek into the future for yours.
The 2018 Six Year Japanese Black Pine Contest
This forum will be for contest participants to track and report on their progress.
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