Bonsai Tree Care

The black pine may be found, as an ornamental tree, in small packs, in parks and home gardens. You can find it in the forests, where there are dry soils. It is by origin from the Eastern Alps.

Sometimes, the black pine may be used as a Christmas tree, because of the lasting leaves/pins that have a powerful green color.

The bark of the black pine is hard and cracked even with the younger trees. The little Bonsai trees have the same characteristics: a very hard stem and an ornamental cornice. If you want to create a Bonsai from a pine, this is the pine you should use first time.

It has few branches that can be easily shaped and cut. The period of time it takes for a black pine Bonsai tree to reach its full potential is 5 to 10 years. During all this time, you have to shape the main branches, while the stem keeps hardening. A 10 years old black pine Bonsai tree reaches, in good environment, 2-3inches/5-7cm diameter of the stem.

Soil:

Pinus Nigra needs a mineral and permeable soil, with a drainage layer of around 1inch/3cm, and a big grain-size. This is why the height of the pot should not be bigger than 3inches/8cm. The mix should contain aprox. 40% of Japanese clay (medium grain-size), 40% of burnt clay and 20% of putrid compost.

Nutrition/Sustenance:
The usual fertilizer, dust or balls, is good for the black pine. The younger trees may use, in the spring, some liquid fertilizer, in order for them to be strengthening up with the necessary growth substances. Black pines need, quite early, fertilizers (starting with the beginning of April and finishing with the end of September). Just before the winter comes, you should clean all the residual fertilizers that may be on the plants.

Winter:

In the areas with a softer climate, black pines may be left outside but you should cover the soil so that all the water (rain, snow) should not moist the soil too much. Thus, the tree receives all the light it needs in this period of year. Do not, under any circumstances, store the trees in a basement or any other space without good lighting, with relatively high temperatures and dry air. They really need a natural, rougher climate.

Wiring:

Black pines may be wired every moment of the year, but do not bend them too much. For the best results, you should wire them in the first three months of the year (January, February and March). You can start wiring the black pine quite early in its life, starting from the second to the third year. You need the stem to be quite tall and thin in order to bend it easily. Some trees need to grip the wire some more, so that the branches should stretch and grow anymore. Don’t forget, creating a bonsai takes several years. During all this time, all the scars that the wiring left in the tree will soften and disappear.

Cutting the branches:

You can cut the branches of the black pine all year long. On the cuts, the tree will probably produce some more resin in May to July, but this will not harm the bonsai.

Cutting the buds:

When the Bonsai has reach the desired height (approx. 16-20inches/40-50cm), you should start cutting the buds every year and remove the resin. The shaping process may take years to complete. You should remove the buds with the tweezers from July to September. Only the deep buds should be left to grow (those that will help you shape the cornice). These buds will reach the desired growth on year later. Starting with April and until the half of May, the tree will produce resin. The higher buds should always be cut. This way, the main branches will grow stronger by the year.

Placement:

Black pines really love the light. This is the reason they should be always kept in a bright place. Give them some height, at some distance from any high building and bushy trees, which may take their sun. They REALLY need the light, in order to grow strong, fast and healthy.

Transferring and unburying:

Black pines have, naturally, a root system that is not fit for a Bonsai. They have a pin root that is very difficult to take out of the soil. This is why you should first find out if the tree has a compact root, before unburying it. If this is the case, then you should dig a bigger hole in the soil around the plant and then cut down the root. Finally, put the soil back in the hole and you should wait 1 to 3 years for another root to grow. Then, you can unbury it from September till the end of October and, starting from March till April, you can move the cut root to another pot.

Style:

Pinus Nigra has a rough aspect, a very expressive we might say. Usually, pines have weird shapes. You can, still, achieve some straight shapes. You have to understand though, that there are several years before they reach maturity. The beginners should shape arch like shapes, bent over or suspended. You should not plant groups or little pine forests. You could, still, create twin stems. The length of the leaves/pins of the black pine reaches 3-5inches/8-14cm. They may be even longer in Bonsai trees that are grown outside. This is why the trees should not be below a certain height, in order to keep the proportions.

Watering:

The Black Pine doesn’t need a soil too moist. This is the reason you should always check the humidity of the soil every time. If you find out that the soil is too moist, you should take the plant out of the pot for a few days. In the long rainy periods, the pine should be carefully covered with plastic foils.

They have to be watered from April to September, using the water from the faucets. In regard of this, we advise you not to try raising a black pine Bonsai if you live in a mostly rainy area of the planet.

We hope that you will find all this information attractive enough to try and create a Black Pine Bonsai tree. When you do, please, do not forget to send us pictures.

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