Last day of 2022 here. Time for the “end of the year” update on my Japanese Black Pine from seed project that I started back in 2018. The entire project progression can be seen here.

From the 150+ seedlings I started with I have 13 left. 8 in pond baskets/nursery containers and 5 growing in the ground. I sold all the rest over the past years.

Here are the ones that I have left in pond baskets/nursery containers:

#1 the Neagari project (exposed roots)

#2 Shohin candidate 1

#3 Shohin candidate 2

#4 Shohin candidate 3

#5 Shohin candidate 4

#6 Shohin candidate 5

#7 Shohin candidate 6

#8 Root-over-Rock (rock collected in the Austrian Alpes)

After talking to Jonas Dupuich from Bonsai Tonight and watching this awesome decandeling video from Eric Schrader I finally had the courage to make the first big cuts on some of my Japanese Black Pines that I’ve been growing from seed. They’re in their 6th year now.

The first one is my main candidate for a contest that’s running on BonsaiNut.

Here’s the last pic of the tree at full height.

Then the first cut came…
4 Years of growth gone in 1 second.

What is left over is what I was aiming at for the last 6 years. I also decandeled the new growth of this year and even a little of last year’s growth.

The second victim of today was my neagari or exposed root project.

And the same treatment for this one, away with the sacrifice branch and candles!

The last one for today was going to be a very tiny one in the end. I already positioned my concave cutter as you can see.

After decandeling not much of the original tree is left.

View from above.

Now it’s waiting for new buds to pop up on the branches that I decandeled.

I still have a few other trees left but I won’t be making big cuts on them this year, they can grow for at least another year. I will be decandeling the lowest branches.

Another post from the Japanese black pine from seed project that I started in 2018.

So I was planning to repot my exposed roots style Pinus Thunberghii into a bonsai pot. I had 3 pot candidates. Not sure if I picked the right one but anyway, I picked one today

Here’s the tree after I pruned a few branches away before the repot.

The tree pots that I had to choose from where these ones:

The round one and the skull pot are pots made by Zoran Slavkovic. The natural rock looking one was made by Ginkgohatás pottery.

After combing out the roots I tried to fit the tree in all the pots.

This would be a winner if the pot was just a little bigger.

Not bad either, but the pot looks a bit too big this time.

After loosening the roots a bit more the tree fits this pot and there should be enough space for new roots to grow. For now it’s good enough.

Let’s tie the tree nice and steady in the pot and fill everything with bonsai soil making sure there are no air pockets left between the roots.

A little close-up of the exposed roots.

There even was a visitor that survived the repotting

Now the tree can grow freely for the first few months, maybe in june I’ll do some decandeling but that’s yet to be seen.

Another post from the Japanese black pine from seed project that I started in 2018.

So I was planning to repot my exposed roots style Pinus Thunberghii into a bonsai pot. I had 3 pot candidates. Not sure if I picked the right one but anyway, I picked one today

Here’s the tree after I pruned a few branches away before the repot.

The tree pots that I had to choose from where these ones:

The round one and the skull pot are pots made by Zoran Slavkovic. The natural rock looking one was made by Ginkgohatás pottery.

After combing out the roots I tried to fit the tree in all the pots.

This would be a winner if the pot was just a little bigger.

Not bad either, but the pot looks a bit too big this time.

After loosening the roots a bit more the tree fits this pot and there should be enough space for new roots to grow. For now it’s good enough.

Let’s tie the tree nice and steady in the pot and fill everything with bonsai soil making sure there are no air pockets left between the roots.

A little close-up of the exposed roots.

There even was a visitor that survived the repotting

Now the tree can grow freely for the first few months, maybe in june I’ll do some decandeling but that’s yet to be seen.