The local nurseries are selling off their surplus plants now that the end of
summer (here anyway) is approaching. I was able to purchase a pretty nice
Dwarf Scots Pine for $35 (trunk is about 1 1/2" diam.). Very full foliage
with lots of dense growth to work with. My question is: if I don't mess
with the roots, is it safe to style it during this time of year? I've heard
any number of "rules of thumb" regarding how much can safely be removed from
a pine and I've seen a number of demos where those rules were violated to
the extent that the "finished" tree had like one branch left with a couple
of tufts of needles. So, for a newbie, how much of the top can be reduced
without excessive risk? This tree appears to be very healthy. Thanks,

Jeff Isom
Cleveland, OH / Sunset Zone 39

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I have a scots pine that I have worked for years. I don't know about
Cleveland, but I do know you could probably shorten the plant and some of
the branches without too much stress. I would do the minimum though. I
tend to keep plants for a year before styling. This way I am sure they are
acclimated to my growing conditions. Otherwise you expose the tree to
double stress: styling and moving.

Many demo trees are no better than mallsai for survival rate. They are
done for showmanship at the wrong time of the year. They need intensive
expert care to survive. So don't judge that you can successfully do to a
tree what is done at a demo. There are other demos that do care for the
health of the plant, lest I get royally flamed. ;-}

Kitsune Miko

At 12:37 PM 7/30/2003 -0400, Isom, Jeff (EM, PTL) wrote:
The local nurseries are selling off their surplus plants now that the end of
summer (here anyway) is approaching. I was able to purchase a pretty nice
Dwarf Scots Pine for $35 (trunk is about 1 1/2" diam.). Very full foliage
with lots of dense growth to work with. My question is: if I don't mess
with the roots, is it safe to style it during this time of year? I've heard
any number of "rules of thumb" regarding how much can safely be removed from
a pine and I've seen a number of demos where those rules were violated to
the extent that the "finished" tree had like one branch left with a couple
of tufts of needles. So, for a newbie, how much of the top can be reduced
without excessive risk? This tree appears to be very healthy. Thanks,

Jeff Isom
Cleveland, OH / Sunset Zone 39

************************************************* *******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************* *******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

In a message dated 7/30/2003 12:37:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, writes:

My question is: if I don't mess
with the roots, is it safe to style it during this time of year? I've heard
any number of "rules of thumb" regarding how much can safely be removed from
a pine and I've seen a number of demos where those rules were violated to
the extent that the "finished" tree had like one branch
left with a couple
of tufts of needles.

Working with pines is like tuning a fine Ferrari engine. If it is not done properly, performance will significantly suffer.

I would recommend the following:

1. Remove undesirable branches (imi-eda). I would recommend that you trace the desired trunkline and remove anything that will not contribute to the future development of the tree.
2. Cut back on the long shoots to promote back budding, but this must be done not later than this week (to ensure that buds set for the following spring).
3. Pull out needles in extremely dense areas to improve light penetration and air circulation.
4. Downward pointing bundles of needles can also be removed (pulled or cut) to enhance the beauty of the tree. If you see weeping (sapflow) after plucking a small group of needles, resort to using your shears.
5. Superfeed to promote growth for artistic development.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano
members.aol.com/iasnob/index.html

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