🌿 Proactive Propagation for New Students
One common limitation to progress and passion of new Bonsai students is the availability of material to work with. I would encourage all practitioners to proactively reserve 10% of their bench or garden to propagate and develop pre-bonsai material just for new students. It would be most welcomed to be gifted one pre-bonsai tree: e.g. Japanese Black Maple, Japanese Maple, Trident, or favorite and locally thriving tree upon joining a local Bonsai club or attending a beginners’ class or workshop. Or to plan them for part of a beginners’ class where material is needed—but started 3-4 years ahead.
If a local Bonsai club had 50-100 active members and hoped to grow 10% each year, 5-10 pre-bonsai “welcome trees” or a semi-annual beginner class starting with provided pre-bonsai trees could plan for 20 students each year. If each active member hosted 10 rooted seedlings for 3-5 years for a specific class or gifting year—it would foster new Bonsai students and club growth. What would cost more
Pine Tree from Cuttings
from “Gardening Know How”
You can take cuttings from pine trees anytime between summer and before new growth appears in spring, but the ideal time for rooting pine tree cuttings is from early to mid-autumn, or in midwinter.
Start by taking several 4- to 6-inch (10-15 cm.) cuttings from the current year’s growth. The cuttings should be healthy and disease free, preferably with new growth at the tips.
Fill a celled planting tray with a loose, well-aerated rooting medium such as pine bark, peat or perlite mixed with an equal part of coarse sand.
Water the rooting medium until it is evenly moist but not soggy. Remove the needles from the lower one-third to half of the cuttings. Then dip the bottom 1 inch (2.5 cm.) of each cutting in rooting hormone.
Cover the tray with clear plastic to create a greenhouse atmosphere. Cuttings will root faster if you place the tray on a heating mat set to 68 F. (20 C.). Also, place the tray in bright, indirect light.
Water as needed to keep the rooting medium moist. Be careful not to overwater, which may rot the cuttings. Poke a few holes in the covering if you see water dripping down the inside of the plastic. Remove the plastic as soon as new growth appears.
Be patient. The cuttings may take up to a year to root. Once the cuttings are well-rooted, transplant each one into a pot with a soil-based potting mix. This is a good time to add a little slow-release fertilizer.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Can You Root Pine Branches – Conifer Cutting Propagation Guide https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/pine/rooting-pine-tree-cuttings.htm