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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73155

  • Sergipot
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Hi guys,

I bought a bonsai pack 1 year and 5 months ago, and from the five different types I was only able to grow 2:
- Redbud China
- Pine Southern Europe

Both of them are looking really nice, but I read today that some experts gave up on the pine because the needles for some reason turn very long after a few years in a pot, so is it worth it to keep it growing? Or should I give up and start with a different one?

The redbud looks like it's going quite well, just waiting for it to get bigger and thicker, but it's only 1.5 years old, so still need to wait.

I'll attach a picture of each of them.
Do you have any advice for them?

I'm really new in the bonsai world and I quite like it, but stresses me out sometimes as you have to wait very long times to see some changes.

Thanks for your responses! :)

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73161

  • Albas
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Hello!

Both seems promissing... I wouldn't give up on the pine, but I would have it outdoors, and on a big pot, so it can grow...

Bonsai is a slow paced art, slower if done on small pots since the beggining, and even slower if not outside.

I have a 14 years old Ficus outside that I made from seedling, and don't even consider a Bonsai yet...
Some good artists can make Bonsai in 3-5 years, but with a very different approach and skills...
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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73166

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Hi Albas,

Thank you for your reply!
I really appreciate your advice, but I cannot grow it outside as I live in a 2nd floor flat. I would love to have a garden to have a few different ones growing at the same time, and it's hard to do it in England as the weather is not the best either.

If I keep my bonsais in these pots for at least another year, I thought that the stem would get thicker but I didn't think about it making it grow slower, very good point.

How tall should I keep them? As specially the pine keeps going up instead of wider?

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73167

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Hi Albas,

Thank you for your reply!
I really appreciate your advice, but I cannot grow it outside as I live in a 2nd floor flat. I would love to have a garden to have a few different ones growing at the same time, and it's hard to do it in England as the weather is not the best either.

If I keep my bonsais in these pots for at least another year, I thought that the stem would get thicker but I didn't think about it making it grow slower, very good point.

How tall should I keep them? As specially the pine keeps going up instead of wider?

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73218

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Well, I barelly heard about this pine species, and didn't know that other species, but most of the pines are really difficult to back bud, so people don't let them thick then chop, the approach then would be ramify, and use the branches to thicken it...

The Redbud should be easier to develop a trunk and chop back, or prune it and work the ramifications into sacrifice tips.

How big, is always on what size of Bonsai you want for the future, just have in mind that bigger the leaves, bigger the bonsai, so it can have proportion...

A really commom technique applied to Pines, is the sacrifice branch, which consist in let a branch grows as long as possible to thicken the base, keeping the low green mass... I've read that as long as you keep the lower needles, the pine should bud on the them... But well, there are many pine varieties out there...
But in general, you can ramify the lower part, and let the top grow freely.

This Bonsai Empire video may help you with the idea of the sacrifice branch...


About the pot size... The bigger it is, the faster it grows, and the bigger it grows, the thicker it gets... (Of course having some common sense, for there would be no reason to place a small seedling on a 10L bucket right away... xD) But as I learnt with Tropfrog, Pines don't like to be repoted very often... =]
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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73221

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Contrary to what Albas says, pines do backbud , some more easily than others, if you know what you are doing on the right time in the year.
Concerning your pine: if you can not place it outside it will die, no doubt about it.

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73223

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I cannot grow it outside as I live in a 2nd floor flat. I would love to have a garden to have a few different ones growing at the same time, and it's hard to do it in England as the weather is not the best either.


That is a funny statement I hear from english people all the time. England has one of the best climate for growing japanese native bonsai in Europe. Never too hot and never too cold. Enough rain to make watering less labour intense.

Most of the europeans on this forum are in northern mainland Europe. And we all envy the growth rate you guys in UK gets.

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73224

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Contrary to what Albas says, pines do backbud , some more easily than others, if you know what you are doing on the right time in the year.


I didn't say it don't, I said it's difficult, and I was talking about a thick chop, without needles underneath... But ok, thanks. :)

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73243

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Thank you all for your replies! They are all very helpful.

About my pine, I might try the "Sacrifice branch". It's already growing long needles that I cut once to see the effect and the bonsai always have a drop of water at the end of them, so that's not a solution. I know it's going to be risky and difficult because of my experience, but we all have to start somewhere :)

I'll keep my redbud as my main project, hopefully this one won't be as hard as the pine.

Do you recommend to put some moss on them? Both of them have some repotting soil and they have been fed with "Bonsai Focus" during May - September.

And if I want to start a third project, I always wanted a Japanese Black Pine (But I might have to face the same issues) or Japanese Maple, are these hard to grow? Or do you have any recommendations?

Thanks again!

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Italian Stone Pine and Eastern Redbud 2 years 5 months ago #73244

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Black Pine and Maple are both species that needs a lot of sunlight and that should be grown outside...

For indoors (nearby a window, never in a room shelf or such) I would recommend you a Ficus for example...
Which direction is facing your window?

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