I am looking to get started in Bonsai. I am scheduled to take a class at my local bonsai nursery. However on the mean time I am looking to collect to inexpensive material to have test subjects. I have identified some some trees in my yard. These are white pines ranging from 1 m to 1.5 m high. Obviously they are young. Is there something I should be doing to prepare them. The trunks are fairly straight and thin. I am not sure how to build a starting shape with these pines.

Sorry for the double post i couldn't edit the original post.
I am looking to get started in Bonsai. I am scheduled to take a class at my local bonsai nursery. However on the mean time I am looking to collect to inexpensive material to have test subjects. I have identified some some trees in my yard. These are white pines ranging from 1 m to 1.5 m high. Obviously they are young. Is there something I should be doing to prepare them. The trunks are fairly straight and thin. I am not sure how to build a starting shape with these pines. Sorry for the orientation. The second two are growing together.

Let me see if I got this right. So you are already scheduled to take a Bonsai class, and you are looking for Yamadori. First of all, collecting from the wild is not a task for beginners, secondly, I think it is not the right time of the year to collect a pine, and thirdly, if you collect a specimen you have to let it be for at least 1 year, so it recovers from being collected. A pine, I would guess it needs a lot more than a year. And yes, these trees are way too young to do anything on them other than letting them grow.

You should just get a nursery plant, get a boxwood with a decent trunk. Or a Juniper. I personally recommend Juniper. You can also get a nursery grown tree such as maple or oak and chop the trunk.

As part of the class I will be receiving a tree to work with. My guess is it will be a Juniper. What I am looking for is future material. I understand this means years from now. I guess I was not clear the these test subject are for the future not this year. The material from the class will suffice for this year.

I don't think I would call these trees Yamadori. They are young trees not much different then what is available at my local garden center except they are free. They needs years to become something I get it.

If this the wrong time of year to move them that is useful information. I live in the north eastern US. When would be the right time. Two are in a clump and at minimum I want to give them some space to better growth.

eangola wrote:

you are looking for Yamadori

The trees on the photos are not Yamadori.

coltranem wrote:

They are young trees not much different then what is available at my local garden center except they are free. They needs years to become something I get it.

Good that you know what they are (and what they are not...) and what it takes. The first one does not seem so interesting. The foliage is too high up on the tree, no lower foliage, and a straight, thin trunk. The other ones seem more interesting - for long term, of course.

I like the one in the third photo. One of my concerns is keeping the lower foliage intact as I understand pines don't back bud. Is there something I can do to help keep that lower growth?

coltranem wrote:

I like the one in the third photo. One of my concerns is keeping the lower foliage intact as I understand pines don't back bud. Is there something I can do to help keep that lower growth?

Yep. Prune the top.
You would need to break the candles or decandle. Look it up and study it. Not sure what type of white pines these are, I think they are not Pinus Parviflora?
This is important to know as the technique per type of pine can be different.

This is a good article about pines in general .

Auk I will research decandling. White pines are Pinus Strobus. Can you repost the article? I didn't t see the link.

coltranem wrote:

Can you repost the article? I didn't t see the link.

Oops. Here it is:
www.adamsbonsai.com/pine_foliage.pdf

This explains the difference between decandling and candle pinching:
crataegus.com/2016/04/14/big-difference-...reaking-pine-shoots/
Note the difference between single flush and multiple flush pines.

You may also find this tutorial from Ryan Neil on pines interesting: