Pinus ponderosa "Cultivation Notes"

Pinus ponderosa / Ponderosa Pine
Bonsai cultivation notes

Position Ponderosa Pine prefers full sun; provide protection from drying winds in winter.

Feeding Provide micro nutrients after candles have extended but before the needles begin to extend (pineapple stage).  Feed every other week with a well balance fertilizer in summer after shoots have extended and needles have hardened.  Stop feeding when the day time temperatures exceed 93 degrees F.  Late summer and early fall feed every two weeks with a low nitrogen fertilizer to stimulate and enhance bud and root growth.  Stop feeding 2-3 weeks prior to the first frost.

Watering Water as needed throughout the growing season; a well draining soil is suggested poor draining soils will quickly lead to root rot, especially with newly collected specimens.

Re-potting re-pot in fall or early spring every three to five years, when the tree has become established re-pot as necessary when roots fill the pot.

Pruning Collected Ponderosas have a slow growth rate so keep pruning to a minimum.  Structural pruning should be executed in late fall or winter when sap flow has slowed down.  During winter bring them in for 24 hours to completely thaw out before pruning, wiring, or shaping.  Restrict candle pinching and shoot pruning to only the vigorous areas.  Utilize existing branches to their fullest potential; growing new branches can take many years.  Note: I have observed rapid growth in some specimens, where the shoots have extended up to 4 inches in one growth cycle.  In the fall after they have hardened off I have cut them back by ½ only to be rewarded with prolific bud back the following spring.  This also helped to balance the energy throughout the tree.

Needle Cutting Selectively cut needles only in very vigorous areas during the fall to equally distribute energy and bring light and air to the inner and lower branches.  For refined trees remove apical buds on vigorous shoots if extension is not required.

Collected Specimens & Pre-Bonsai Collect specimens in fall to take advantage of the second period of root growth.  The long fall season here in coastal Virginia seems to help them become established before winter sets in (1^st week of January).  When collecting preserve as much of the root system as possible without disturbing the duff.  After transporting, wrap the long root extensions and the duff attached to the feeder roots, around the inside of the training pot.  Remove the original soil not the attached duff, keeping the roots moist and being careful not to damage the fine feeder roots.  Cut away dead roots and/or the tap root with a clean cut and seal with cut paste.  Save some of the original soil to reintroduce the microriza back into the soil.  Use a well draining soil mix to prevent root rot, water with Super Thrive (vitamin B) once a week for the first two weeks after collection.  Grow for one year without pruning allowing the root system to fully recover. Place newly collected specimens in partial shad until new buds have developed and new shoots have extended.  Note: I will only collect specimens if at least 40 percent of the fine feeder roots and duff can be preserved.  Specimens collected with less than 40 percent of the feeder roots will struggle during the next spring and may fail to produce buds and shoots the following year. If this occurs they will eventually becoming weak and die when the day time temperature exceeds 90 degrees F.  I have also observed that after collection some of the specimens will have needles that stand up and spread out after 3 weeks.  These are the trees that bud out first and grow profusely the next spring.  Following this procedure I have enjoyed an 85% survival rate.