Suthin Sale Chumono JBP

[markyscott]

In 2016, Suthin staged a major sale of his collection. I went to that sale and bought two large trees that I’ll post a thread on at some point. A friend of mine from Houston went as well and bought a medium-sized imported black pine. Upon his return home, unfortunately, he had a significant family crisis that distracted him from his trees. In 2019, he approached me and asked if I wanted to purchase it from him as the tree was declining. I agreed immediately as I knew it to be a great tree and I thought I could return it to health. This is a process that has taken years, so I thought I’d document my journey with this tree.

 

[markyscott]

Here’s the tree in Houston in January 2020. I repotted the tree into a slightly deeper container, removing the old soil and replacing it with a coarse, well-draining mix. The tree had lost a few smaller branches - something that would continue happening for a couple of years.

 

[markyscott]

The tree did mostly OK in 2020, but it was still clearly not strong. It lost a couple of smaller branches and the spring shoots did not extend strongly enough to convince me to decandle. I decided to let it grow that year. Here it is in May and June of 2020.

 

[markyscott]

2021 and 2022 were the same story. The tree grew, but was weak so I didn’t decandle. Several small branches died in 2021, but I don’t have any notes recording branches dying in 2022, so maybe it was doing a bit better then. By now 3 years with no decandling. In February 2022, I repotted the tree into a deeper training pot to help with its recovery. Here’s the tree before and after repotting in February of 2022.

 

[markyscott]

The tree did much better in the 2023 growing season, but I still didn’t decandle. Here’s the tree after needle pulling in December of that year. The needles were longer and the spring shoots produced more of them. The color was better too.

 

[markyscott]

By 2024 the tree was clearly on the road to recovery. Spring growth was definitely stronger, but I decided to forgo decandling for another year out of concern that it might set the tree back again. Here’s the tree in September of that year after needle pulling. I noticed that the fall buds were large and healthy and I was pretty sure that 2025 would be a decandling year, finally.

 

[markyscott]

I wired the tree out over the winter. Spring candles extended with strength - finally giving me what I was looking for. I bit my lip and decandled on June 13 of this year.

 

[markyscott]

The tree responded very well. By early July, the summer shoots had appeared.

 

[markyscott]

End August 2025 before and after fall cleanup. The tree is finally coming into its own. A six year journey back to health.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

End August 2025 before and after fall cleanup. The tree is finally coming into its own. A six year journey back to health.

View attachment 612423View attachment 612424

The Suthin sale happened before I even got interested in bonsai, so I never got a shot at any of his trees. Unfortunately, I have seen multiple of the trees from this sale suffer, and a few died.

Great job rehabilitating this JBP and returning it to an amazing state!!!

 

[Nybonsai12]

Your patience and restraint really paid off. Tree is looking nice and healthy. Great work.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Well done!

You gotta like someone who has the patience to let trees get strong and robust before working on them.

Best
DSD sends

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Nice recovery and patience along the way. It’s pretty amazing to see it barely grow for 3 years, then the quantum leap from 2024 to today. Any idea what actually caused the decline? I assume it was healthy when it left Suthin’s.

 

[johnl445]

The Suthin sale happened before I even got interested in bonsai, so I never got a shot at any of his trees. Unfortunately, I have seen multiple of the trees from this sale suffer, and a few died.

Great job rehabilitating this JBP and returning it to an amazing state!!!

Any idea why his trees were suffering after the sale?

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Any idea why his trees were suffering after the sale?

Poor care from the next owner.

 

[markyscott]

Nice recovery and patience along the way. It’s pretty amazing to see it barely grow for 3 years, then the quantum leap from 2024 to today. Any idea what actually caused the decline? I assume it was healthy when it left Suthin’s.

Unfortunately, the previous owner had a family crisis that took his attention away from his trees and he was simply unable to care for them. Sometimes life reprioritizes itself.

One thing I might have done differently is to have put it in the terra cotta pot earlier. I wonder if that helped with its recovery.

S

 

[BrianBay9]

Pardon my ignorance working with JBP, but when you forego decandling for several years don't the branches continue to extend? Do you end up with candles growing much further away from the trunk? Is tighter growth recoverable?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Pardon my ignorance working with JBP, but when you forego decandling for several years don't the branches continue to extend? Do you end up with candles growing much further away from the trunk? Is tighter growth recoverable?

Usually you end up pruning the stronger shoots back to interior ones, which helps push growth closer to the trunk, but also makes the tree rely on weaker growth.

 

[markyscott]

Pardon my ignorance working with JBP, but when you forego decandling for several years don't the branches continue to extend? Do you end up with candles growing much further away from the trunk? Is tighter growth recoverable?

The branches will definitely extend more if you do not decandle. But when the tree is weak you won’t get much extension and you won’t get the back budding you need to undertake the techniques that Brian described. Better to forgo decandling until the tree is strong enough to handle it and then recover the shape. If some of the branches have gotten too leggy and you don’t get back budding, you can always graft.

S

 

[Cadillactaste]

End August 2025 before and after fall cleanup. The tree is finally coming into its own. A six year journey back to health.

View attachment 612423View attachment 612424

I'm glad you were wise with the species to understand what needed done...and the patience to see it through . That looks lovely and much happier now.