wrote:

Well, after nursing the collected seedling along, I gave up. It refuses to
bud back any further. I just bought a nursery pine, in a manageable size, at a
price I can afford. It looks as though it can easily be cut back to bonsai
proportions. The question is scheduling. Can I leave it in the nursery pot or
should I put it in the ground? I will need it in a pot to take it to a workshop in
the fall. Can I do any pruning now? It has pretty close internodes, but too
many branches. Also, the branches need to be shortened. When, if ever, can I
prune the roots?
Iris


I understand there are some dwarf cultivars that bud back. Anita Hawkins tells me
she has one. Maybe she could post the cultivar name on the list.

I'd leave it in the nursery pot if it were mine. If you put it in the ground it will
take off so quickly you'll never catch up with it.

My suspicion is you could prune, but you won't get any more growth until next year
other than the setting of next year's buds.

Be careful with the roots. I've worked with a few Eastern White Pines (Pinus
strobus) although all collected specimens, meaning the roots were more sparse. My
guess is a nursery tree will have a better rootball.

Good luck with your experiment. I haven't given up on this species yet--in fact, my
large Pinus strobus is actually beginning to look like something. I'm sure I won't
be able to convince the oldtimers yet.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a Sunset 37

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