[IBC] Any help on care for a bristlecone pine
Karin Freeman
I am new to the list, but I have found the exchange of ideas and helpful
information priceless. Now it has come my turn to inquire of you all. I have
been doing bonsai for approximately three years now, and I am totally
consumed by it. I have a chance to acquire a dwarf bristlecone pine. And I
am wondering if anyone- and I'm sure you can- offer me any advice on it's
care. I have about twenty trees, but no pines at all. This will be my first.
I am located in southwestern Connecticut- almost New York State really. Our
temperatures have been very warm for this time of year. What would be the
watering and feeding requirements of this tree? Also am I correct in
assuming that it will be needing a place where it can get alot of direct
sunlight?
I will value any and all info that you guys can offer. I thank you all in
advance, and I look forward to making the most of this most informative
source.
Thanks again,
Karin Freeman- k_a_f...@hotmail.com- SW Ct.
zone 6a-ish
_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com
********************************************************************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Barbara Cleaver++++
********************************************************************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
To leave the list, send SIGNOFF BONSAI to: LIST...@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM
+++++ Questions? Help? BONSAI-...@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM +++++
jerry Meislik
>And I
>am wondering if anyone- and I'm sure you can- offer me any advice on
>
>I will value any and all info that you guys can offe
>
My advice is to get another pine to start with. Bristlecone is one of the
most difficult to keep going in a container.
I am sure others will chime in who can keep this species alive.
I would start with a Scots pine or Japanese Black pine to get some pine
experience.
Just one persons opinion.
Jerry Meislik
Whitefish Montana USA
Zone3-4
http://www.bonsaihunk.8m.com
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
Marty Haber
that they like dryness and full sun. I've never had success with them and
have stopped trying to grow them on Long Island. After a couple of years
they seem to wither and die. Maybe someone else can be more hopeful and
direct you toward a successful growth plan.
Marty
Bill Herr
I've enclosed a piece I wrote a few years ago on Bristlecones. I originally wrote it
with the idea of submitting it for publication. Anyway since then I've been
increasingly busier with work and all of my bristlcones have been put back into the
ground. At the time I wrote this I had about half dozen at various stages growing in
pots. I had them potted for about 5 years and they were actually growing stronger
and more vigorous than when i had gotten the tree's, so I don't think they would
have been some of those that simply just fade away to death.
Anyway hope it helps a little. It follows.
Bill
Need pots? Visit http://www.wildernest.net/pots/
-----------------------------------------------------------
Natural History
The Bristlecone Pine, Ancient sentinels of the Mountains. I think everyone will
agree that the ancient Bristlecones such as pictured here are true inspiration for
the Bonsai artist. They are rugged trees with massive twisting trunks. Yet they have
a certain grace due to the movement in the tree.
The Bristlecone pine is a survivor of the high mountains. The oldest trees seem to
live in the 10,000 to 11,000 ft elevation range. These trees have been shown to be
living here for 4,000 years. With the oldest known Bristlecone being "Methuselah" at
a rough age of 4,725-year-old.
They have gotten this old by some unique characteristics that no other pines show.
First is they will hold there old needles for a very long time. Recent studies have
showed up to 30 years. By holding their needles for such a long time it provides the
tree with a stable photosynthetic platform. Second is that in nature the trees will
let all but the minimum amount of xylem die back so the unnecessary cells won't be
competing for water or energy. Thus trees often have a single strip of living xylem
from foliage to roots. This provides a very efficient "pipeline" for the trees
survival. The last important adaptation is growing in conditions that nothing else
can. In nature this means in the middle of dolomite fields that are almost sterile
of nutrients. In this way they grow without any real competition.
There are actually 2 pines that have the name Bristlecone. They are Pinus aristata
and Pinus longaeva. Pinus longaeva are a five-needle pine with needles of
approximately 1 ½ inches long. Pinus aristata differs in cone and flowers. It to is
a five-needle pine with needles approximately 1 inch long.
Bonsai History
Most bonsai enthusiast have been exposed to Bristlecones in a negative way. "They
have poor branch memory." or "They always look sick." These are from people who in
my opinion haven't taken the time to learn about the subject about which they speak.
Unfortunately I think this has caused a lot of people to dismiss Bristlecones as
viable bonsai subjects. In my time involved with bonsai I can truly say that I've
never seen a Bristlecone bonsai on display at shows or pictured as masterpieces. I
have seen a few pictures of trees that would be considered to be in early
development.
I would like to encourage everyone to not pass up a fine specimen simply because of
the fact that it is a Bristlecone. They have many fine traits for bonsai
development.
Culture
The following notes on care are what works for me in my growing area in South
Eastern Pennsylvania. I live in USDA zone 6 with a microenvironment more closely
resembling Zone 5.
Location: Position in full sun all day long. They sit away from my other trees in an
area where they get almost a constant breeze. They occupy this area from Mid-April
to Mid-December.
Watering: Water daily in the height of summer. In spring or fall they may be watered
as little as once a week. This depends on the rainfall. I try to water when the tree
is almost dry. I should also note that my water is high in calcium carbonate
(dissolved lime). I think this is advantageous due to the natural habitat of the
trees that grow in dolomite, which is largely limestone.
Feeding: Feed using cakes of natural fertilizers. These are simply spread on the pot
surface at approximately 1 cake for every 4 square inches. When using chemicals or
more aggressive feeding regimes I've noticed that the tree will put on fantastic
growth for about 3 years then will slowly decline in health to the point of death.
Repotting: Repot every 2-5 years depending on the trees vigor and desired finished
rootmass size. Prune the roots as little as needed. Try to leave as much of the
feeder roots as possible. If you need to decrease the rootball a lot then it is
better to do it every other year in small stages. I repot my trees in late winter. I
remove about 75% of the old soil only leaving a small core of old soil. I use a soil
that has particles that are approximately 1/8 inch in size. The soil can be just
about any concoction you wish as long as it is free draining and holds very little
moisture. I use only inert materials such as turface and haydite. Do not use
materials that will break down quickly thus preventing proper drainage such as kitty
litter or Akadama soil. I've also noticed that they do not like to be over potted.
It seems that they like their roots to be slightly crowded and kept warm. I think
that the problem with over potting is that the soil stays wet to long thus
encouraging root rot. The latter statement is sure to be controversial. I have
noticed that my Bristlecones in dark pots seem to do better than those in light
colored pots. After first noticing this I took a pine that looked relatively weak
(cream pot) and one that was growing vigorously (dark brown pot) and switched pots
during the next repotting. The once vigorous tree in the dark pot started to show
signs of decline by the following winter. While at the same time the weak one showed
a rate of growth that was almost twice its normal from the previous 3 years. The
Bristlecones seem to start growth at a much earlier time than most pines. Perhaps
this is due to the very short time they get that is conducive to growth in their
natural habitats.
Pruning: Heavy pruning such as cutting off major branches or part of the trunk seems
to best be done in late fall. This limits the amount of sap that the tree will push
from the cut. Most pine it is advantageous to let a small stump where branches are
removed from the trunk. This allows the tree to naturally re-route the sap around
the branch that has been removed. However this is not effective with Bristlecones. I
have left stumps on a Bristlecone and after 3 years they still have a small amount
of sap pushing out of the ends. Many times the tree will bud on a stump that
currently has no living growth. This I'm told is a phenomenon almost exclusively
seen in Bristlecones. Unfortunately it is not guaranteed that if you cut off
everything but a stump that it will sprout from the stump. This is up to the whim of
the tree. As you have probably figured out by now few Pines bud back as well as the
Bristlecone. If you attempt to strip the bark to form immediate jin or shari you are
met with some of the thickest, stickiest sap you can imagine. I found that even
after several years of the wood being stripped of bark that it is still to "wet"
with sap to properly carve. Wounds do not heal very well. They eventually seem to
callous and begin to close but it is ever so slowly. So special consideration maybe
needed when contemplating designs.
Candle pruning is best done when the candles start showing the individual needles
but before they extend and harden. Do not be worried if for a few years after
initial work on a tree it doesn't produce candles but simply seems to open small
whorls of 6-10 sets of needles. This seems to be common when the tree is acclimating
to its new surroundings. Simply pinch out the very last of these needles while still
soft. Always let at least 4 sets of new needles. The tree will still respond by
sending out new buds, even on very old growth. The new buds that exhibit this growth
should be left alone for the first year to gain vigor. The one part of this that I
have yet to come to a firm answer on is "How many old needles should I leave on?" To
be honest I'm not sure. I leave approximately 1-½ inches of needles behind the bud.
This is much more than you would leave with other pines. This has so far been very
successful for me. I have gotten a large amount of back budding as well as a full
looking silhouette.
Wiring: Wiring can be done at almost anytime of the year. However if you wire in
Late Spring to Early Summer you will end up destroying many of the new buds that
have begun to swell. The Bristlecones seem to be second in flexibility only to the
Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis). This is nice in the initial styling of the tree, but
means that many years of wiring will be needed till the tree adopts its new look.
This isn't as bad as it first may seem because if wired correctly Bristlecones can
stay wired for as long as 5 years before they need to be rewired. Certainly their
branch memory is no worse than that of the more commonly used Spruces.
Pests: Bristle cones seem to suffer from the same pests as most pines. These include
adelgid, borers, sawfly, and scale. Scale by far is the hardest to detect. The scale
insects look almost identical to the natural resin flecks that are present on all
healthy Bristlecone pines. You must be very diligent when inspecting them for scale.
Summery
I don't want you to think there are not any negative points to growing Bristlecones.
There are 2 very important ones that I can think of. First is that people who aren't
familiar with Bristlecones see the flecks of resin on the needles and think that it
is scale. Second and most annoying is those that have dismissed the usefulness of
Bristlecones as bonsai subjects. They inevitably say things like "Bristlecones will
never make good bonsai." Or "Bristlecones are temperamental trees that are hard to
shape and always look sick." These are unfortunate stereotypes of the species.
I believe the Bristlecone makes a fine addition to any bonsai collection. You will
need to keep a few unique traits in mind when dealing with them if you want them to
thrive for you. As Bristlecones mature they have a handsome finely fissured bark.
Bristlecones are relatively simple to care for and can usually be obtained at most
large nurseries. So please give them a try if you come across one that shows
potential.
Don & Judy
Karin
I have a Bristlecone that I bought on a whim. It is/was about 18 inches
tall with a trunk maybe three quarters of an inch. Mine is not a dwarf. I
doesn't appear to have changed much in 4 or 5 years. The branches are still
only 2 or 3 inches long. I live in zone 7. If the tree you are looking at
is already styled it might be feasible, but if it isn't and you are not in
your late teens I would give it a pass.
Don Case
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Don & Judy
I read Bill's post about two minutes after hitting send. I will defer to
his advice because he lives closer to you and he has obviously put more time
into working with Bristlecones. We have very acid soil here which may
account for the slow growth. In about ten minutes my Bristlecone gets a shot
of lime-Thanks Bill.
Don Case
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
********************************************************************************
jerry Meislik
>wrote it
>with the idea of submitting it for publication. Anyway since then I've been
>increasingly busier with work and all of my bristlcones have been put back
>into the
>ground. At the time I wrote this I had about half dozen at various stages
>growing in
>pots. I had them potted for about 5 years and they were actually growing
>stronger
>and more vigorous than when i had gotten the tree's, so I don't think they
>would
>have been some of those that simply just fade away to death.
>
>Anyway hope it helps a little. It follows.
>
>Bill
Great article on Bristlecones. Why not publish the material so that everyone
can learn from your experiences.
Thanks.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.