Bonsai Japanese White Pine

How to care for Pinus Parviflora and Pentaphylla

The Japanese White Pine requires careful attention to maintain its health and train it as a bonsai. When you consider White Pine, you must learn cleaning techniques, growth, re-potting, soil, pruning, wiring, water, spray, feeding, etc. In addition, you want to consider peat, pests, disease, and more. Now, we cannot go into extensive details, however I can provide you a few helpful tips to get you started in growing Japanese White Pines as bonsai.

How to clean:
Cleaning the plants is easy. Use your "thumb and index finger" to pluck the aged pine needles. The pine needles often turn yellowish during the fall. Next, prune the internal undergrowth or foliage and get rid of any decaying and/or injured sections. As well, get rid of any debris or decaying elements from the soil. Finally, you have cleaned your Japanese White Pine; however, you will need to move ahead. Remember the growth of the Japanese Whites is a slow process.

You want to clean the plants as needed, water, and provide nourishment for your White Pines as recommended. Wait five years before you re-pot the plants. You can re-pot the plants in a larger pot, which has a deep bottom. You want to treat the plants for a few weeks once you re-pot the plants. Early spring around March, you want to prune the roots. Prune around 1/3 length and get rid of the aged roots. You can leave aged soil about the roots so that the plant can re-establish its growth. Avoid cleaning at this stage. After you re-pot the plant, you want to, carefully watch its growth.

How to soil:
Adding the right soil is important when growing the Japanese White Pines. Use ½-soil leaf container to make a shape. (Learn about Mould) Next, add fertile workable soil, or 1/3 loam. The fertile soil is easy-working soil that consists of mixture of clay, sand, silt, and many times organic matters. Add some course sand, at least 1/3 and provide a drainage hole.

How to prune:
Pruning is best handled in April, yet you should prune back the candles as needed. The candle(s) should be pruned back about 2/3 before the candles open. Use your index finger and thumb. If the plant grows thick crowns, you will need to remove at least one bud. There should be around three buds per growth, which you will only remove one per growth of the three. You can leave the buds alone if you want a thicker plant. In October, you will need to prune the branches. You do not want to cut the needles, rather cut 1/3 of the branch. You can pinch the buds back for a few weeks to balance the needles.

How to water:
If you plant the bonsai with stones at the base, water your plant sparingly. The Japanese White Pines require less water than common plants; therefore sparingly water your plants as recommended.

How to spray:
During the summer, you want to spray the undergrowth, or foliage.

How to fertilize:
Fertilizer is a feeder, which the Japanese White Pines require feeding during spring months and fall. Use slow-processing natural fertilizer sparingly about once a month during July and August to feed your plant. At the end of fall amplify the amount of fertilizer and add moderate amount of chemical radicals, or nitrate. Read the instructions on feeding so that you know which nitrate to add, since you have the option of potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and sodium nitrate. If the tree is sick, or recently has been re-potted, do not add fertilizer.