Pinus contorta

Discussion in 'Gymnosperms (incl. Conifers)' started by bmacraith, Jul 15, 2006.

  1. bmacraith

    bmacraith Member

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    I have a six foot tall beach pine, I live in a northern California coastal area. I have a small garden and want to keep the pine from getting over about seven feet. Someone said I could do some bonsai but I don't know how. Please advise. Thanks!
     
  2. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    At 7' tall, it's going to be one terrific bonsai! You do understand that it will have to live in a container forever? And you'll have to learn how to root prune, and mix up the right stuff to plant it in? Great! Now what you need is hands-on help.. this is NOT a job to be done alone, certainly not by someone who knows more or less nothing about bonsai, and definitely not instantaneously. Your best bet is to find a local bonsai club (lots in CA) and get help from them, as they'll be only too happy to have such a great tree to assist with, but will be able to show and tell you exactly how to deal with the job and the follow-up. I can help you find a club, but you'll need to tell me what larger town you're near to (I don't imagine Arcata is all that big or full of bonsai people).
     
  3. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    As indicated already, it won't be an easy job - another option is to donate (or sell!) the pine to a bonsai collector, and plant something smaller in its place
     
  4. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Hi again, I think I should clarify something - it's more than likely that you'll be 'told' to cut it down to a lower height (4-5'), normally a no-no for pines), but what'll happen (no, it won't bud back lower down necessarily) is that you'll get a cool fatter trunk - don't cut lower branches (yet), they're needed for the fattening - and you'll see how to train up a branch below the cut to become the new 'leader' (so you won't have a flat-top tree), but the choice will be yours of course.
     
  5. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Hi, try these two...

    William Hegy 707-677-3995 whegy@aol.com
    Adorni Center 1011 Waterfront Drive* Eureka, Ca 95501

    Deer Meadow Bonsai
    3700 Deer Meadow Lane
    Occidental, CA 95465
    707 874-1679
     
  6. bmacraith

    bmacraith Member

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    Many thanks for the info, Bonnie
     
  7. Rima

    Rima Active Member

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    Who's Bonnie?
     
  8. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I'm guessing Bonnie is the first name for the user bmacraith.
     

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