How to make a Masson pine bonsai? A detailed guide to the latest methods

Masson pine is a type of pine tree, also known as green pine, mountain pine, fir pine, etc. It is suitable for planting in mountain streams, valleys, rocky areas, poolside, roadside and mountain afforestation, and is also suitable for solitary planting in front of courtyards, beside pavilions and among rockeries. At present, it is mostly used for bonsai cultivation at home. Its making is much the same as that of other bonsai, so let us take a look below at how to make a Masson pine bonsai.

Selecting the raw material for a Masson pine bonsai

Although Masson pine bonsai material can be grown from a young age, without ten to twenty years the trunk will not develop rough bark, and making it into a fine bonsai takes a very long time. When conditions permit, the main approach is to dig up old stumps from the wild. Emphasis should be placed on choosing those that are dwarfed, aged, and can be trained into a trunk with natural taper and rich variation, preferably with ready-made sacrifice branches, or with reasonable branch positions, relatively compact buds, room for selection and elimination, and prospects for development. Next, choose stumps with a relatively balanced root spread, more lateral roots, flatter extension, and easier survival.

Digging up Masson pine bonsai material

Although the digging time for Masson pine varies somewhat depending on the region, the difference is not great. Generally, it is suitable from October to November of the Gregorian calendar, when it begins its dormant period, and from the end of February to March, when its leaf buds begin to sprout. Be sure to avoid the plum rain season, because Masson pine likes dryness and fears dampness. Digging on rainy days, first, makes the soil ball hard to form, and second, the soil is too wet, the roots cannot breathe well, and this is unfavorable for root development and survival.

Growing out Masson pine bonsai material

After the Masson pine stump is brought back, if conditions permit, it should be planted in the ground for more than one year. If there is no ground-planting condition, it can be grown out in a wooden box or a large ceramic pot. The soil used can be a mixture of river sand, coal ash and yellow loam, which is loose, drains well and yet retains moisture. Other loose, plain soil can also be used. Sticky and alkaline soil should be avoided. A Masson pine stump should be grown out for at least one year. During this period, unless bud forcing is truly needed, do not casually cut off branches and leaves or remove buds, and even more do not dig into the soil to check root growth or rashly apply fertilizer.

Shaping a Masson pine bonsai

In principle, the shaping of a Masson pine bonsai should take the presentation of masculine ruggedness as its theme, but because its branches are supple and highly malleable, while stumps obtained from the wild are mostly short, stout and twisted, with very few having clean, neat roots, and most lacking branch tiers, one should therefore not stick to one pattern but apply techniques according to the material. Relying on the creator's artistic cultivation and understanding of natural beauty, following aesthetic principles, capture the most prominent characteristics and the most beautiful aspects of the stump, express them fully, and turn the material in hand into a living work of art.

Sealing cuts on a Masson pine bonsai

Many people use erythromycin ointment to seal cuts, but in fact this does not work. Erythromycin ointment is actually a kind of soft paste. When the gummy pine resin flows out from the cut, the soft ointment simply has no strength to stop the resin from overflowing. It can prevent wound infection, but most of the ointment is lost as the resin overflows, and only a very small amount remains attached to the wound, so its effect is not great. Sealing cuts with mud, however, works quite well. When cutting branches of mountain pine on the mountain, smear some plain soil from the mountain on the wound a few times. Observe the next day: the wound no longer exudes resin. Instead, the originally gummy resin and the solid mud adhere to each other and solidify together, effectively stopping the resin from flowing out.

Care of a Masson pine bonsai

1. Light: full sunlight is required, and it must not be shaded.

2. Temperature: when potted, avoid freezing; anything between 0-35°C is acceptable.

3. Watering: because pine bonsai have relatively little soil in the pot, watering should be done in small amounts many times, with each watering soaking through, alternating between dry and wet. When the ambient temperature is low in winter, it is better to keep it dry than wet.

4. Ventilation: good ventilation is required, and it must not be stuffy and closed in.

5. Fertilizing: it is not strict about fertilizer requirements; generally fertilizing a few times from spring to autumn is enough. When fertilizing in autumn, use less nitrogen and more potassium.

6. Pruning: gradually design the shape according to the stump framework, or maintain the original form through pruning. In short, the goal is to ensure good ornamental value.

7. Diseases and pests: scale insects are commonly seen, while diseases are rare, so in daily care just pay more attention to early prevention.