Living log

Budding behaviour of pines

started 2026-06-13·tended 2026-08-09

Referenced

Bonsai Scots pine #1

Pinus sylvestris

bonsai

A leggy black pine

Pinus Thunbergii

tree

Small curly black pine

Pinus Thunbergii

tree

I didn’t pay much attention to the way different pines back bud when you cut them - bad. I want to record more situations to track the behaviour of budding on pines.

How this developed

Interventionunwire · pruneSmall curly black pine
height
24 cm
width
18 cm
Pot
Ø 17 cm · 12 cm deep
Soil
organic 60% · pumice 20% · akadama 20%
A Japanese black pine bonsai with a sharply zig-zagged wired trunk in a terracotta pot, dense blue-green needle pads above, on a wooden bench against a white wall.
Overhead close-up of the black pine's crown with scissors reaching in to cut at the base of a needle cluster, gritty soil and pot below.Close view of the black pine's branching trunk and needle whorls, small buds forming at a fork, the wired lower trunk visible against a white wall.

I didn’t want to wait for September with pruning, beacause I hope to see new buds in August/September, maybe they will be ready to become actual branches next year spring. So I cut all buds but the very small branches at the back. Also the middle leading shoot I didn’t touch. Since I’m on a mission to understand the budding behaviour I additionally removed some old needles, where buds aren’t as useful for the “design”. Maybe this can also contribute to budding behaviour of pines

InterventionpruneA leggy black pine
height
33 cm
width
23 cm
Pot
Ø 12 cm · 19 cm deep
Soil
organic 50% · gritty 20% · pumice 30%
A young Japanese black pine with a wired curved trunk in a black plastic pot, a spray of green needles on top, on a balcony with a hazy landscape and folded parasol behind.Close-up of a black pine branch tip showing a growing bud with a bead of yellow resin among the needles, balcony and pots blurred behind.
Close view of the black pine's needle tufts and branch tips with small buds forming, balcony railing and landscape blurred behind.A black pine branch tip held in a hand, a whorl of green needles around the growing tip, a balcony table and mug blurred behind.

Since the tree was growing so well for the last two years I decided to cut the ends off. Maybe I’ll get some bud back further down this longish stem. Hope I can track the development well, since it might be important for the budding behaviour of pines collection.

ObservationBonsai Scots pine #1
Looking down at a Scots pine bonsai's flaky-barked trunk and branches in a terracotta pot, sparse green needle tufts with some browning, on a paved balcony.A Scots pine bonsai seen from above, branches with tufts of green needles (a few browning) spreading over a terracotta pot on grey paving.
Close-up of a Scots pine branch tip with a whorl of needles, several tips browning yellow, blurred pot and paving behind.Close view of a Scots pine's branches and needle tufts, some needles yellowing at the tips, over a terracotta pot of reddish soil.

The summer is fine for the tree so far. I gave it a larger pot and it seems to work, or maybe it’s just me paying closer attention to the tree. In any case last years buds open up and the tree grows. But still, I am missing a good vision for this tree. Propably the best thing at this point is to wait and do nothing. The tree will one day tell me what I can make out of it.