by Lee Squires

The classic bonsai, if you had to draw one as an assignment in an art class, would be a pine, probably a Japanese White Pine. Generally, an informal upright would do, with a fine configuration and ramification of branches all in the right places, with a perfect display of exposed roots and tiny needles of a deep green color to enhance the overall design and to complement the antique pot.

This elusive pine has eluded many a club member over the years and I , as well as those before me, have been diligent in trying to create the classic pine for our benches, and not just on paper. Where are these pines that once shared the bench with our azaleas, maples and junipers? Mostly dead I'm afraid, and dead from a multitude of causes too numerous to explain here.

Lucky me received a great book for Christmas, PINES , from Bonsai Today's Masters' Series published by Stone Lantern Publishing Co. ($29.95). All aspects of pine bonsai growing AND survival are included here. One excellent chapter, Cultivating Balance, caught my eye as I scanned the table of contents. The author was Master Takashita Yosiaki.

Early on in my bonsai career I practiced the techniques that Takashita ( his real name ) explains in his chapter. I read the techniques he promotes that were written some 30 years before by another master or bonsai pro in one of the first books I read on bonsai culture. Sorry, I can't tell you what book that was. However, I have always remembered those techniques.

There are several aspects of bonsai pine culture that we all should know and practice in order to help them survive. The proper soil and drainage, the proper amounts of water and fertilizer, pest control, sun exposure, and precise pruning techniques all must be set into motion for the grower to keep that expensive tree alive and content for many years to come.

To be successful for the long term, you must master pinching and pruning in order to balance energy in one part of a tree, and either increase or decrease the energy depending on where energy is needed. Make sense? Let me explain. All trees, either evergreen or deciduous, have apical dominance. That is, the apex or top of the tree, receives more sunlight and has a greater tendency to put out longer shoots and outgrow the lower branches. The lower and interior branches receive less sun and are weaker. If you let the top grow unchecked for long periods it will always outgrow the lower branches and weaken them. The top branches will be thicker than the lower branches. This is reverse of what should be. The lower branches should be thicker than the upper branches.

Generally, when candles emerge, I'll pinch the upper ones first, and in a couple of weeks pinch the middle third, and a few weeks later I'll pinch the lower third of the candles. This transfers energy from the dominant apex to the lower two-thirds of the tree. The upper branches will be thinner and the lower ones will be thicker because they have grown for a longer time period. If a lower right branch is weak, I'll not pinch those buds but will pinch the buds on a lower left branch. This will transfer the energy from left to right and increase the vigor and diameter of the right branch. In 2 to 3 weeks I'll pinch the right branch buds. This transfer of energy can be practiced anywhere on the tree where weak growth is evident.

Branches, as well as buds, can be trimmed or left alone depending on where you want the energy in the tree distributed. Always trim branches or pinch candles in pines before June 1st in Kentucky. The same goes for pines planted in your landscape. If you trim after June1st, the branch will not bud back, and many times the branch will die. Also, never trim past the needles. If needles are not left on the branch on the trunk side of the cut, that branch will generally die back.

On the other hand, buds that form in the summer, after the candle pinching and branch pruning in the spring, can be plucked in the fall. You will have at least 5 buds grow at the point of each candle pinching. In the fall, remove the largest buds in the cluster on strong branches (leave maybe two); and, on weak branches, leave the larger, stronger buds and remove the weaker, smaller buds. Bud removal in the fall eliminates massive shoot growth in the spring and prevents thick growth at the terminal ends of branches. If you want a branch to grow in a particular place, do not trim the buds in that area and let the bud/branch elongate in the spring. Bud removal can be very time consuming and sometimes it's hard to find the time to do it.

Try your best to find the time to properly prune and pinch and your pines will be much healthier and well groomed for the next show. These techniques will also help to increase the number of pines in our club members' collections and will reward you with a fine specimen of the true bonsai classic, The Pine.