Korean Black Pine in training.

[bonhe]

Thanks Adair M for your comment.

Have you ever done the "use scissors to cut the root in where it barely escaped the 1st colander wall" process?
I only did it when I wanted to separate the 1st colander from the 2nd colander.

The reason I ask us my friends who have done the double colander thing tell me that the roots swell as they get constructed passing thru the holes of the first colander. They bulge up on both sides. The first colander won't just easily pull off.
It does not make sense at all! I never had a problem like that!

Then again, it appears you twist the first colander when it's in the larger one? Is that what you mean by rotate?
Sorry for confusion. No, I rotated the 2nd colander once in a while.

I'm being honest here, I admire your experiment, but the results are showing far less growth than I've seen others achieve in the same (or less) amount of time. Using just straight single colanders!
I appreciate your comment. It is hard to compare my method of growing with others because of different specimen. I am growing KBP and I suspect that others grow JBP. To conclude which method is better, one must use same sample to compare (talking about statistics method)! However, I have also been growing 42 four years old JBP seedlings with different grow method. I can see those JBP grows much faster (I will create a post for those JBP). I wish I could do more experiment to find out if KBP is a slow growing tree comparing to JBP.
Bonhe

 

[Adair M]

Bonhe, I suspect that KBP must be a slower grower.

Yeah, my friends said the roots became so enmeshed in the first colander that they had to cut it out. Maybe they left in longer than you.

Anyway, good luck with your trees!

 

[sdavis]

[QUOTE="]I create this post to show you my collection of Korean black pine (KBP).


What is the botanical name for Korean Black Pine?
If it is Pinus thunbergii, how does it differ from Japanese Black Pine?

 

[M. Frary]

Koreanus Blackus Pinus.

 

[bonhe]

[QUOTE="]
What is the botanical name for Korean Black Pine?
If it is Pinus thunbergii, how does it differ from Japanese Black Pine?

Botanical name for KBP is Pinus thunbergii.
Different area, different characteristic!
Let me tell you a history of those KBP seedlings. My best friend received about one pound bag of pine seeds from his Korean friend around 2007 (his friend went back to Korea and brought back those pine seeds). My friend threw those seeds into his garden. Few months later, lot of pine seedlings came to life. My friends picked up hundreds of them and put those into the 4" square plastic containers separately.

Life is full of coincidence! We ran into each other at House of Bonsai and became close friends since then. He gave me around 100 seedlings in the end of 2008. After those years, I still have quite a few left (Others were either given to friends or death).

In 2010, I bought the "Gnarly Branches, Ancient Trees" (Will Hiltz) book. The book displays the life and works of Dan Robinson. Mr. Robinson talked about Korean Black Pine seedlings which he obtained the seeds from Korea in 1965. He has been growing the KBP since 1965. I really enjoy his KBP bonsai in the book. I love his style! I believe he is a greatest bonsai master at least in America! After reading the book, I have got more encouragement to follow my dream: growing the bonsai from the seedlings! It needs lots of time and patience but it is absolutely worth!

p/s: Last year I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Dan Robinson in person. When I was talking to my teacher, Mr. Richard Ota, in the 2015 GSBF convention, Mr. Robinson came by and talked to my teacher. At that time, I found an interesting story. Mr. Robinson came to Mr. Ota's nursery over 2o years ago and bought one small cork pine. He said he still had that cork pine!
"The world is round so that friendship may encircle it" - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

I started working on the young KBPs this afternoon.
Before.


After cutting short the new shoots. I still let the top branch untouched for sacrificial purpose. This is a root over rock style.


Every time I work on the young tree, I always feed them with lot of slow released organic and chemical fertilizers.


* What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?
Bonhe

 

[namnhi]

* What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?
Bonhe[/QUOTE]
Quick release and slow release right?

 

[bonhe]

* What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?
Bonhe

Quick release and slow release right?[/QUOTE]
If I want to use quick and slow release, I can use chemical fertilizer for both purposes.
Bonhe

 

[0soyoung]

What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?

I suppose you are using organics to supply minor mineral nutrients that are often lacking in chemical ferts.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

the organics are better for feeding the mycorrhiza associated with pines.

 

[bonhe]

I suppose you are using organics to supply minor mineral nutrients that are often lacking in chemical ferts.

The chemical fertilizer which I use has enough trace mineral elements!
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

the organics are better for feeding the mycorrhiza associated with pines.

You are almost getting there!
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

* What is the purpose to use chemical and organic fertilizers together?
To answer this question, it will have a lot of explanation, however I can summarize it as below.
In bonsai culture, we tend to use more inorganic soil which is considered as infertile soil (lack of beneficial microorganism with nutrients). Humic acid and fulvic acid are extracted from humus created by beneficial microorganism in the soil. Organic fertilizer is good source for those microorganisms. Due to their negative charge, humic and fulvic acid can hold onto positively charged minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and essential trace elements around the root system and easily release them to the roots of the plants through hydrogen ion H + exchange. Besides that, fulvic acid also help transport the mineral through the cell membrane of the root and release them to the cell. If we only use chemical fertilizer, we can face serious problem in the long run such as "hard pan", root burn.
Bonhe

 

[trunghongmon]

How are you ? Have a good day .

 

[M. Frary]

How are you ? Have a good day .

Fine! You too!

 

[bonhe]

I brought out some KBP to work this morning.
1st one.
Before


After pruning


Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

2nd one.
Before


After.


Its trunk has a lot of scars!


The scars are healing up well.

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

3rd one.
Before


After. It still has one sacrifice branch.

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

4th one.
Before


Full of mycorrhiza on the roots escaping from the colander.


After


Future look will be either of these.

Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

5th one.
Before


The future look will be either of them.


Bonhe