This is my Japanese Black Pine that I started from seed. I am trying to grow as bonsai and I will be going through its progression below.
It is only young, so it still has a long way to go.
If you want to watch it in video format, you can watch the YouTube playlist below. The videos show the progression every month throughout the year, sort of like a time lapse.
Just be aware some of my earlier videos are not the best quality, but just like my trees, the quality slowly improves over time, so stick with them and they both get a little better towards the end.
The Japnese Black pine is an evergreen pine tree, known for its rough dark bark, from which it gets its name. They are very popular trees in bonsai and you can read more about their suitability in Is A Japanese Black Pine A Good Tree For Bonsai?
Page Contents
2020
In 2020 I received the “Grow It Bonsai Kit” which contained seeds, one of which was a Japanese black pine.
I started the kit in spring 2020 and I managed to get one pine to germinate (I think there was only 3 pine seeds in the pack)
Once it started growing it was left alone until about the summer. At this point it was big enough to be planted into its own pot.
I did nothing to the roots. I just removed the tree from the germination pot and potted it into its own pot. After this it was just left alone to recover.
The tree was started inside, but I had been lowering the light levels to mimic autumn and then I moved the tree into my shed over winter. This would give it some cold, while also protecting it from the coldest weather.
2021
Once the bulk of the winter had passed I brought the tree outside to start its life outside.
It exploded with growth in spring and then was allowed to grow all year un touched.
2022
At the start of 2022 I wired the main trunk into a crazy shape. This looks a bit silly now, but in a few years when it thickens it should leave the tree with some cool movement.
In spring I removed the new candles, that had extended, to promote some more branching.
After this it was allowed to grow out for the rest of the year.
2023
At the start of 2023 I removed the wire (Although it is still on in the picture below). I didn’t need to prune anything as everything was looking ok, there was only two branches growing from one place, so there was no crowding.
The new buds started pushing out in spring and when they got long enough, they where pruned back.
As you can see below, the pruning caused many new buds to form.
They where then left to grow all summer long. As you can see, there where many buds all in the same place, so I really should have come in at end of summer and removed some, so that there was only two shoots in one spot, but I forgot. Its okay, I can do this before spring 2024
2024
And this is where we are with this tree.
My plan is to remove some of the shoots, just before spring, so there is only two in one spot. It will then be left to grow and the new candles will be removed just before they open …so plenty to do in 2024.
If you also have a Japanese black pine and are wondering how I look after it, you can read my Japanese Black Pine Care Guide.
Hi, I’m Ian. I have been doing bonsai since 2014. I created this site to spread all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos where I show the progress of my own Bonsai each week or connect with me on social media.
You can read more about me and how I got into Bonsai on the About Page
