Does anybody know if Pinus monticola, Western White Pine, is:
A) suitable bonsai material?
B) single- or multi-flush?
C) able to back bud reliably?
D) typical care for the type or something unique?
It is a five needle white pine native to The western US and Canada. I’m probably hotter and dryer than it’s preferred climate so I will baby it through the summer. I was thinking single flush, but saw somewhere that it grows fast so maybe it can push two rounds of growth? If I learned that it can backbud relatively well I’d feel better about leaving the growth unchecked for the first few years.
And of course, let me know if I’m barking up the wrong tree. I picked it up cheap as an opportunity without knowing much about it, so I am fine relegating it to the landscape.
Thank you.
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Good timing for this question, i think Mirai references this tree directly in this video:
https://live.bonsaimirai.com/library/video/five-needle-post-flush-pruning
Single flush long needle pine. He goes into loads of details of how to work it… and i think the timing for the work is now.
Hope it helps:grinning:
I’ve seen some very nice monticola at BSOP meetings in Portland. Greg Brenden did a demo on one last year.
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Thanks for the link. I was skipping that video because I have no intent to grow Japanese White Pine.
He did not actually mention this species in the video (he talked a lot about Eastern White Pine) but he did say emphatically that ALL five needle white pines behave the same. I will proceed with caution while expecting similar results.
haha sorry i tend to get my west and east, left and right, up and down confused.