Hello Mirai practitioners. I see that I have posted the last three beginner questions, so I hope I’m not wearing out my welcome. Here it goes anyway. I watch a lot of Mirai live and I have seen a couple of times that Ryan has said that the Ponderosa pine that he is working with (more than one) has been grafted with a Japanese Black pine. Why is this done? I live in a Ponderosa pine heavy area and would like to work with one soon.
Good question. Because they can…
Partly because we can get real large old knarly Ponderosa cheeply here; can’t get old black pine for love or money…and the advanced practitioners typically have a love affair with black pine needle growth habits. I think it is, relatively, OK…
I have several large yamadori Ponderosa. CRAZY KNARLEY. Probably 20+ in the local club. Love the native needles. Following Ryan’s cultivation suggestions. They are crazy healthy. The needles are relatively short.
I LIKE them the way they are… Pondys DO win prizes at national shows in US… would probably not in Japan. Love to see them there … just to stirr the pot…
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Thanks Kurt. So its more for the Black pine aesthetics and less about one or the other having more health or vigor.
Yeah I think it’s mostly about needle length.
Does the foliage act as multi-flush after grafting onto Ponderosa?
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Yes, according to scripture. I can only assume they would react like black pine…
I do not have a black pine… my grafted J. white pine / on black pine trunk… died of unknown causes, it was real healthy. I need to back graft my J. Red pine this year… it is way too leggy. I’m 0 for 5 on grafting…
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