Pine as an Elegant Bonsai

Pine is an evergreen tree from the pine family, most commonly cultivated as bonsai in China and Japan, where it enjoys great respect and love. Bonsai cultivation is a philosophy that teaches people understanding of nature and themselves. Pine is a very typical conifer for growing in a dish or pot. For successful cultivation of pine as bonsai, it is important to ensure suitable substrate, watering and pinching.

Bonsai for Patient Growers

Bonsai are mostly woody plants that are grown in containers. They were originally cultivated by the Chinese. In the 6th century AD, bonsai cultivation spread to Japan and from there to other parts of the world. The Japanese elevated bonsai cultivation to a higher level and brought it into the artistic realm. In the 20th century, the art of bonsai cultivation also spread to Europe, where it remains very popular today.

Bonsai are Divided into:

large bonsai - height up to 130 cm - for example black pine, plane tree

medium bonsai - height 30 - 60 cm - for example birch, hazel

small bonsai - height 5 - 15 cm - for example juniper, rhododendron

The ideal size of bonsai is determined at the beginning of their shaping and is very closely related to the size of their leaves or needles. Bonsai must reach a certain minimum height and the proportion between leaf size and bonsai size must be maintained!

Bonsai are miniature-sized plants that, with their delicate beauty, enliven balconies, terraces, gardens, or home interiors. Pines grown as bonsai require a lot of time, patience, imagination and skill in shaping and overall care.

Pine as the Most Popular Bonsai

Pine (lat. Pinus) is an evergreen tree undemanding of soil and moisture. It belongs to the pine family. The shape of pine is sometimes ovate, most often conical, its crown has a looser appearance. Pine has long needles that grow in bundles of 2, 3 or 5. The pine plant is very resilient and romantic and, above all, space-efficient, which is why it is suitable for growing even in smaller gardens, on rock gardens, terraces, in pots on balconies, staircases and as decoration for outdoor gazebos.

Mountain pine and Japanese white pine are most commonly used for bonsai cultivation.

Mountain Pine

Mountain pine (lat. Pinus mugo) represents European mountains and highlands and has many varieties. It has shiny green to purple-brown bark on a young trunk and characteristic resinous buds. Mountain pine has 2-5cm long needles growing in pairs, dark green in color and slightly curved. Its cones are without stems and grow from purple inflorescences, which appear in large numbers on new shoots.

Mountain pine grown as bonsai prefers sunny locations that can be exposed to wind. If the pine branches don't receive enough light, they die off. We place the seed or small pine plant in well-draining coarse-grained substrate, which should be kept consistently moist. We water it with tap water. Mountain pine is a frost-hardy woody plant, but it's still advisable to move it from the pot directly into the garden bed for winter and ensure sufficient moisture.

We shape mountain pine through wiring and pruning back.

Wiring

This pine species is suitable for shaping in cascade style; broom style is not typical. For its shaping, we can use wiring, even on older branches. When the bark on branches is already thick, it's better to use guy-wires or strengthen with a thick layer of bast before wiring. Mountain pine can be wired in winter and during the growing season. Wires applied in winter or spring may become too tight by summer, and if not removed, they will be grown over by autumn.

Pruning Back

Healthy mountain pine trees that are not freshly dug up can be cut during initial shaping into old wood, provided that green needles remain on the rest of the branches. After 4 weeks, new buds will emerge not only at the cut site but also along the entire branch. (choose the right scissors)

In July, we completely remove fully developed current-year shoots on shaped trees. If spring growth was weak, remove only the terminal bud from each shoot. After 4 weeks, new buds will form at the cut site. With regular and good nutrient supply to the pine, smaller and shorter needles will sprout in the same year. Thick branches should be removed in winter.

We fertilize developing mountain pine plants from April to August, for example with pellets made from rapeseed meal or other organic fertilizers. I apply mineral fertilizers to plants throughout the year.

Japanese White Pine

Japanese white pine (lat. Pinus parviflora) originally comes from Asia and belongs among pines with the most beautiful needles. In nature, it doesn't grow to great heights. Its trunk is grey to black, cracked in older age. Japanese white pine flowers grow on young shoots; purple male inflorescences grow from beneath young needles, and female ones grow on the shoots.

Japanese white pine grown as bonsai likes locations in direct sunlight. It tolerates strong wind well. We place the pine plant in coarse-grained substrate that ensures drainage of excess water. We replace the substrate every 2-3 years.

For good growth and development of pine, symbiosis with fungi is important. If the soil under the plant is too wet, the fungi die off and the tree only survives. We water it with tap water. We fertilize dwarf white pine with pellets made from rapeseed meal or other organic fertilizer, for example specifically for Conifers with higher nitrogen content for beautiful needles.

For shaping dwarf white pine, every style is suitable except the broom style. The plant is not very frost-resistant. (What are the types of shaping?) For winter, we move the dwarf white pine from the pot directly into the garden bed, or from the balcony we move it into a box with a mixture of peat and sand.

When growing dwarf white pine, it is important that the soil is evenly moist, but not waterlogged for extended periods. The most sensitive part of the plant is its root system. We fertilize it less than deciduous trees.

Wiring

If we want to maintain a certain shape of dwarf white pine, wiring during winter is essential. We wrap all branches of the tree with wire up to the top and simultaneously pluck off the needles. We leave only the terminal shoots. The amount of needles that remain on the branch then affects the size of spring growth from the respective buds. We shape the tips of side twigs of one branch so that they ideally form compact cushions pointing upward. If they pointed downward, they could die off.

Pruning Back

We perform pruning during the basic shaping of dwarf white pine. Subsequently, we reduce the new terminal shoots that bud the following spring. If more than 2 terminal shoots sprout at a single branch tip, we remove the longer ones. Before the needles emerge from their sheath, we reduce the thicker ones to the length of the shortest one. In the case of sparsely branched or heavily fertilized dwarf white pine trees, the terminal shoots may be too thick. In such cases, we shorten all of them to a length of 1-2 cm. If only flowers remain on the entire branch, the branch will die.

Dwarf white pine has been grown as a typical and popular bonsai for centuries in Japan. This plant must be placed outdoors throughout the entire year.