Pinus Sylvestris Trollguld

[Mike132327]

My second pine of the day was a gold Scots Pine. The golden color and trunk movement sold me on it. I have tried to read as much as I could on scots pines and still have several questions.

The tree is in a 3 gal nursery pot, the trunk is 2.25” at the base and the foliage is on the small side. I believe this is a dwarf cultivar so hoping the foliage stays nice and small.

I am not really looking to get the trunk much thicker in a hurry so I was going to repot this spring into a shallower clay pot. Should I half bare root for this repotting or just trim off some of the root ball and see how it responds?

Is there any styling work I should consider at this early stage or just focus on working down the roots and building better feeder roots. I would rather give the tree the best chances to thrive than rush it along for what it’s worth.

Any suggestions or resources you have used to help with your Scot’s pines would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Have a great day.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Resource icon W

Pinus Sylvestris care guide Version 2

Jul 24, 2024

A care guide for pinus sylvestris or scots pine

• Wires_Guy_wires
• pine pinus sylvestris scots pine single flush
• Tutorials

Seems to work for me!

 

[Mike132327]

Resource icon W

Pinus Sylvestris care guide Version 2

Jul 24, 2024

A care guide for pinus sylvestris or scots pine

• Wires_Guy_wires
• pine pinus sylvestris scots pine single flush
• Tutorials

Seems to work for me!

Awesome thanks for that, it was a very informative read.

The roots aren’t exploding out if the pot and they seem to be in good health. It is in a fully organic soil, if it is draining well would you hold off on a repot and prune and wire this spring instead? Then if recover and growth is strong possibly repot next year for root work?

I picked up two pines in very good health from a nursery yesterday and am trying to get an idea for what people usually prioritize for their initial working of a tree. If the soil was super compact and not draining that would obviously take precedence, but with seemingly good soil what would your first action be?

@Wires_Guy_wires you’ve given me some good advice on my first steps with some deciduous trees I had purchased so thank you for continuing the flow of knowledge. Much appreciated.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Awesome thanks for that, it was a very informative read.

The roots aren’t exploding out if the pot and they seem to be in good health. It is in a fully organic soil, if it is draining well would you hold off on a repot and prune and wire this spring instead? Then if recover and growth is strong possibly repot next year for root work?

I picked up two pines in very good health from a nursery yesterday and am trying to get an idea for what people usually prioritize for their initial working of a tree. If the soil was super compact and not draining that would obviously take precedence, but with seemingly good soil what would your first action be?

@Wires_Guy_wires you’ve given me some good advice on my first steps with some deciduous trees I had purchased so thank you for continuing the flow of knowledge. Much appreciated.

I am a bit divided and here's my reasoning:
A drastic repot can cause the plant to lose branches, so in that case a repot first would help you select the branches that are left. It would save you some pruning work.
A drastic pruning can cause the plant to start investing in what is left. But there is a risk, meaning the consecutive repot could make it lose those branches that are left. But not pruning at all, while reducing the roots might also cause the plant to lose more water through all that foliage, all the while the roots can't keep up.

It's that double edged sword that makes the first move a risk either way.
In a plant like the ones pictured, I would go with pruning first. Let it recover and then do a repot the next year.

But using a wooden chopstick to probe the soil so you don't over water in that organics is highly recommended. Plants in this kind of soil might not need water for a week or two, so if you're much like me and don't like to treat some plants different than others, a repot first might be advisable.

I hope that makes sense, but what it boils down to is: either way the operations pose a risk, and whatever you do will improve it and push your plant forward.. It has to be done at some point.
Just make sure you time it right. Pruning right now is a good time. Repotting is best done in early spring.

Thanks for the compliments! If you've used my care sheet, please leave a review on it. I'm always looking to clarify what can be clarified, to some extent.

 

[Mike132327]

I am a bit divided and here's my reasoning:
A drastic repot can cause the plant to lose branches, so in that case a repot first would help you select the branches that are left. It would save you some pruning work.
A drastic pruning can cause the plant to start investing in what is left. But there is a risk, meaning the consecutive repot could make it lose those branches that are left. But not pruning at all, while reducing the roots might also cause the plant to lose more water through all that foliage, all the while the roots can't keep up.

It's that double edged sword that makes the first move a risk either way.
In a plant like the ones pictured, I would go with pruning first. Let it recover and then do a repot the next year.

But using a wooden chopstick to probe the soil so you don't over water in that organics is highly recommended. Plants in this kind of soil might not need water for a week or two, so if you're much like me and don't like to treat some plants different than others, a repot first might be advisable.

I hope that makes sense, but what it boils down to is: either way the operations pose a risk, and whatever you do will improve it and push your plant forward.. It has to be done at some point.
Just make sure you time it right. Pruning right now is a good time. Repotting is best done in early spring.

Thanks for the compliments! If you've used my care sheet, please leave a review on it. I'm always looking to clarify what can be clarified, to some extent.

Understood, this is my first full year with bonsai, all my “trees” are all still in their original nursery pots in infancy stages. (Except for a spruce but that will be a different thread for a different day.) I think with everything else being in organics leaving everything in the same medium would give me a less demanding watering schedule and help me get a good foundation year one. I’d rather go slower this year and learn my trees individual needs than start with new trees next year.

I will also be more than happy to give a review there, again much appreciated. Now to the drawing board for a little designing.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I’d rather go slower this year and learn my trees individual needs than start with new trees next year.

I hope you can! But don't worry if your hands start itching and you want to tackle something. It's how we learn and scots pines can be forgiving about it, so you might not learn, or learn that you can get away with stuff you shouldn't get away with.
Anyhow, I digress.

Good luck with these trees! Have fun!

 

[Mike132327]

I hope you can! But don't worry if your hands start itching and you want to tackle something. It's how we learn and scots pines can be forgiving about it, so you might not learn, or learn that you can get away with stuff you shouldn't get away with.
Anyhow, I digress.

Good luck with these trees! Have fun!

I am looking forward to it and thanks. I will post some pics once decisions have been made!

 

[Mike132327]

Today I reduced some whorls of branches from 5-6 to 2-3 and wired the primary branches into better shaping. I also removed the old apex with little taper.

The coming seasons focus will be recovery followed by back budding.

Any constructive thoughts are welcome!