Wire scars on Japanese Black Pine

emorrin

I have been looking to get a Japanese Black Pine and have noticed one that caught my eye. The only problem is it does have some wire scars on the trunk. It seems like allot of JBPs I have looked at have some wire scars. Is it easy to get rid of wire scars on a JBP? Do they heal over in time? I know I can easily fix wire scars on ficus, but not sure about a JBP.

Here is one that I am possibly looking at, for example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360043 440782&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

keithmart

Hi

most of the imported pines will have wire scars. It is possible that they will grow out in time, but as the tree is a slow growing tree I wouldn't hold your breath.

There are a number of techniques you could try, but time and lots of it is the only real answer.

freezingcold · Orange Belt Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 288

most I see have scars and I guess they are a "feature"
even the expensive stuff at good nurseries have scars and grafts.

If you like the tree buy it is my motto unless it is really bad.

I have a maple with loads of scars on it and I still like it. maybe when i am old and grey the scars will have gone!

yamadorinige

It will take decades for this tree to gain any sort of girth to the trunk, with the result that the scarring will not disappear Sad

. I would look for a tree with some low branches.
Alternatively if the scar marks don't go you always have the option of making a feature of it by intentionally making it into a twisted trunk

emorrin

I kind of figured that the scars would remain indefinitely with a JBP since it grows so slowly. I have seen scars on just about every one I have been looking at. I guess it is common after all. I was wondering if by smoothing out the bark around the scars, if that would make the scar less noticeable or make it look worse. You can get away with that on a ficus since it grows allot quicker. The more I read about the JBP, I think I will buy as old of one that I can afford. I will take my time looking for the "right" one since they do tend to be rather expensive. In the meantime, more reading for me (and waiting for my Bonsai Today mater series Pine book to come in).

imholte

Dont waste your money on that. You can buy much better material without wire scars for the same price.

With a tree that young then the scars will fade quickly. With the proper techniques you can get some good girth to pines in a little over 5 years. This involves a larger pot, or in the ground, and utilizing sacrificial branches.

Alot of the older imported trees have deep wire scars on them and are very ugly in my mind. I think the reason they are scarred is to increase the diameter of the trunk, but it looks horrible to me. These older trees will have alot of difficulty in getting rid of the wire scars, but a young tree like that would not be that big of a deal.

In my opinion I would pass on that tree, but it is up to you. I think that it was put in a pot to make a sale and lacks alot for the price they are selling it for. Have you checked out www.evergreengardenworks.com ? They have lots of different cultivars of pines there that are either cuttings or good grafts. They have good qualities that will make them great for a bonsai tree.

emorrin

Ed,

Yes, I decided to pass on that one from eBay. It caught my eye for a minute but the scars, lack of girth on the trunk, and no low branches made me think twice.

I have seen the evergreenworks site and saw that the 2 year grafts were $65, which to me seemed a little expensive. Maybe it isn't in the long run if I know I am getting a good tree to start with (i.e. no scars, good cultivar, etc.) I have heard good things about this place and have read many of Brent's well written articles.

I plan on taking my time looking for the "right" one. Does anyone recommend a specific JBP cultivar? I noticed that the 'Mikawa' cultivar seems to be the most popular.

emorrin

I just came across this site. I know these are Japanese White Pines. When I came home today I found my "Bonsai Today Master's Series- Pines" in my mail box and spent the last couple of hours looking through it. Now I am torn between either getting a Japanese Black or White Pine. This site has a definite improvement in quality compared to the Pines I saw on eBay. I am not sure how much I like the specimen tree, looks a bit too busy to me (i.e. too many branches). It is also out of my price range. I like the middle one except for that wire scar in the center of the trunk. The one that caught my eye is the bottom pine. I think that has some good potential. The one thing I did find pretty interesting about this site is they have several pictures of the tree so you can get a good look at it. Check it out.

http://www.sexybonsai.com/sale.html