Pitch Pine Literati

[Mike132327]

Today I tried my hand at a new style. I got this pitch pine and have been debating to make it a literati or chop it to a shohin. After about a year I’ve really been digging the elegance of the literati design and decided to go that route. Today I cut off the suckers from the base and put some wire on.

The needles are super long and this was a structural styling, so I didn’t do any detail wiring not wanting to knock off any buds for the spring.

In time I could see the back right lowest branch being removed but am keeping it now for tree health. In the coming season I will be working to reduce needle size and developing the apex

I’d love feedback on the trunk line. Thanks for checking it out. I’ll be trying to update this thread is progress is made.

 

[Mike132327]

A few more photos from the sides and back

 

[tanlu]

You already have something decent to start with. I think pitch pines lend themselves more to the bunjin style than to shohin given their needle characteristics.

As a fellow bunjin fan, I recommend you look for the lines in the main trunk and physically draw them on paper as options to see which you prefer. You can always tweak them a little because your tree is still young and thin. Michael Hagedorn has a great series of articles about this topic, of which the 3rd article might immediately answer your question.

 

[Mike132327]

You already have something decent to start with. I think pitch pines lend themselves more to the bunjin style than to shohin given their needle characteristics.

As a fellow bunjin fan, I recommend you look for the lines in the main trunk and physically draw them on paper as options to see which you prefer. You can always tweak them a little because your tree is still young and thin. Michael Hagedorn has a great series of articles about this topic, of which the 3rd article might immediately answer your question.

This was super helpful thank you! I read the whole series a great resource. The exercise of drawing it helped see the line without the needles and branches.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Personal inspiration is to either use only the long branch. Bring down to sweep out near ground level or only use sprouts currently way up at the top. One or the other. Currently there is way too much foliage for Literati. If wanting to use all the tree currently present you could make an interesting informal upright using all the movement you have already wired in.

 

[Mike132327]

Personal inspiration is to either use only the long branch. Bring down to sweep out near ground level or only use sprouts currently way up at the top. One or the other. Currently there is way too much foliage for Literati. If wanting to use all the tree currently present you could make an interesting informal upright using all the movement you have already wired in.

100% agree, early last year this tree had a few minor health and soil issues that have been worked out. Unfortunately I couldn’t do any reduction work with the repot.

This season I will decandle super strong shoots and pinch medium ones so I can get some smaller needles and some buds. I think this will help get a feel for which direction I will go.

Personally I like the Long branch on the left and the apex on the right. Something like the these.

 

[tanlu]

I've returned to the bunjin series many times to remind myself what I'm trying to achieve with my bunjin trees. In the article where you found the tree on the right, I appreciate Michael's critique about one of the other trees he's added to the comparison that looks "too much like a bonsai." My takeaway from that is that general bonsai literature and lots of bonsai hobbyists (including ppl here - including me) will tell you what a literati 'should' look like. Some of these folks have decades of experience, so it's worth paying attention, but I would rely on your own sense after you've reviewed A LOT of trees yourself. These articles are helpful because literati/bunjin are intended to be unconventional yet still natural.

Consider giving yourself many options. With bunjin, this is essential because this is somewhat of a minimalist style and so much attention is on the trunk and where those branches are placed. It might be worth growing out the tree a bit more to provide more options, while choosing those branches you're fairly certain will be part of the final design and building ramification there first.

 

[Mike132327]

. In the article where you found the tree on the right, I appreciate Michael's critique about one of the other trees he's added to the comparison that looks "too much like a bonsai." My takeaway from that is that general bonsai literature and lots of bonsai hobbyists (including ppl here - including me) will tell you what a literati 'should' look like.

loved that part as well, reading his thoughts of each tree after having my own was kind of an ahh haa moment. Also his use of the word abstract kind of made it make sense to me.

Consider giving yourself many options. With bunjin, this is essential because this is somewhat of a minimalist style and so much attention is on the trunk and where those branches are placed. It might be worth growing out the tree a bit more to provide more options, while choosing those branches you're fairly certain will be part of the final design and building ramification there first.

This was the approach I am taking. I know it looks rough and definitely not the end result of a literati or bunjin, but I’d rather keep the tree healthy. I didn’t remove any actual branches just suckers. As the tree grows in and develops I think I will be able to make better decisions on how to proceed.

 

[tanlu]

Sounds like a sound approach. Pitch pine is a fantastic species with so much potential. The bonsai pruning methods to use for this species are still in the works (the debate of de-candle vs pinching vs both...and when). I like to revisit this thread whenever I have those questions. Tidal Bonsai is a great resource.

 

[Mike132327]

Sounds like a sound approach. Pitch pine is a fantastic species with so much potential. The bonsai pruning methods to use for this species are still in the works (the debate of de-candle vs pinching vs both...and when). I like to revisit this thread whenever I have those questions. Tidal Bonsai is a great resource.

I’ve looked through that same thread many times.
I was talking to one of the guys a New England Bonsai Garden and he said he decandles the strongest candles while pinching mediums all to about the same size. If there is a weak area it is left alone. I’ve heard people fully decandle but not every year. It sounds like the half and half method is a solid way to not overly stress the tree completely decandeling, while still working to get advantageous buds. I think I’m going to experiment with the NEBG method this year as long as everyone stays healthy and see how they do.

 

[tanlu]

I don’t have enough experience with the species. My PP is still quite young—most vigorous pine species when young are more forgiving than older trees of that species. I may also play around with both techniques. Keep us updated with your progress and how this guy responds!

 

[Mike132327]

I don’t have enough experience with the species. My PP is still quite young—most vigorous pine species when young are more forgiving than older trees of that species. I may also play around with both techniques. Keep us updated with your progress and how this guy responds!

I will. I have 3 currently and looking for more. They are all different ages and different stages of development so I am interested to see how each responds.