# Hakuro dwarf Japanese black pine **URL:** \ **Category:** Beginners\ **Created:** [October 14, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954 "2023-10-14T01:27:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/1 "2023-10-14T01:27:33Z")
I just got this pine from Bill Valavanis and was wanting some advice on wiring and pruning. Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ![IMG_2459](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/2/c/2c01a1da2876abbdfd50c3980fdefaa29f692fa5.jpeg) ![IMG_2460](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/a/a/aa2d8b24d0e253bd1310443b6ea585a5b888fd3a.jpeg) ![IMG_2461](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/7/3/73792c7d621ad8f6a21935d5bc2c9b0d7600d1fd.jpeg) ![IMG_2462](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/0/7/07998a35563675330ec26d05372bee59d98b29f3.jpeg) ![IMG_2463](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/b/5/b5d297d262649cfa931e8466cfbd0196bcf1d30e.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Eastbayvet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eastbayvet](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Eastbayvet)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/2 "2023-10-14T21:22:47Z")
Do you live near his garden. Did you go there and pick it out? ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/3 "2023-10-15T20:29:13Z")
If I had this I would consider spending the time now to air layer/ground layering it into a twin or multi trunk/,clump style ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 10:50pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/4 "2023-10-20T22:50:09Z")
No I don’t live close to him I ask him if he had any on bonsai auctions and this is what he sent me. Now I have to decide how to style it. ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/5 "2023-10-20T22:51:56Z")
I’ve heard it’s difficult to air layer a black pine. ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/6 "2023-10-20T23:49:38Z")
All pines are challenging to air layer. This would be a ground layer, not nearly as challenging. You could put it in a deeper container, cut a ring and mount up to it. I can’t tell if that’s a graft or if something happened to the lower part of the bark? If it’s grafted species and not a mutation I would not layer ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/7 "2023-10-21T01:07:47Z")
It is grafted but Bill is saying that the cork bark will roll over the graft and hide it over time. Not sure how much time. ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/8 "2023-10-21T01:22:47Z")
I’m thinking of this as the front. You can see both trunks, was thinking about a double apex from this view. ![IMG_2503](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/1/a/1a93561f3549ef64812985c6d4516ab915c2fc2a.jpeg) ![IMG_2502](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/uploads/bonsaimirai/original/3X/f/a/fa52905db9b625394cc7ec23ab03a8ae21218fc6.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/9 "2023-10-21T11:20:04Z")
Bill knows much more than I do, so stock with his advice 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2023, 12:04pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/10 "2023-10-21T12:04:54Z")
I haven’t got to much advice from him yet, still looking for the best steps forward and not spoiling what the tree naturally has to offer me. ---
**Author:** ![chuckwheat](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/chuckwheat/32/828_2.png) [@chuckwheat](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/chuckwheat)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/11 "2023-10-23T14:46:37Z")
Ryan has taught that you can’t ground layer pines. You always need some foliage below the layer to feed the existing root system. It’s discussed in one of the stream I believe. ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/12 "2023-10-23T15:59:12Z")
Good call out, I do recall hearing this several times I don’t think I understood it at that time I heard it. Good reason not to take advice from strangers on the Internet 😞 ---
**Author:** ![Rod](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/rod/32/34946_2.png) [@Rod](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/Rod)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/13 "2023-10-24T17:06:39Z")
Besides ground layering is there a way to get root to grow higher on the trunk of a black pine Scaring trunk and applying rooting powder? ---
**Author:** ![NEBeech](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/forum.bonsaimirai.com/nebeech/32/37888_2.png) [@NEBeech](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/u/NEBeech)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://forum.bonsaimirai.com/t/hakuro-dwarf-japanese-black-pine/10954/14 "2023-10-24T20:52:36Z")
That sounds like the ground layering I had in mind…then mound up the soil? I don’t know the answer obviously but would be curious to know?