Lodgepole Pine Bonsai
Pictures of Lodgepole Pine Bonsai
General Information
Lodgepole pine—Pinus contorta latifolia—is a short-needle, single-flush coniferous evergreen pine native to North America. This pine species naturally inhabits mountain ranges in the Western United States and has a unique appearance. Lodgepole pine needles are a yellow-green to dark-green shade, twisted into bundles of two. The trunk is long and slender, with a short, narrow, and cone-shaped crown.
The bark of lodgepole pine bonsai is thin, flaky, and ranges in color. Some might include more of an orange-brown hue and others gray or black.
Lodgepole pine bonsai grow tall and have a long lifespan, some living as long as 200 years.
Caring for Lodgepole Pine Bonsai
Watering
Lodgepole pine is no exception to other pines when it comes to watering. Because lodgepole pine is native to the western mountainous regions of the United States, they tend to occupy moisture-rich areas. However, it is still very tolerant of drought and dryness.
But to achieve ultimate health, it's important that lodgepole pine completely dry out between waterings to strike the perfect balance between water and oxygen.
Temperature
Lodgepole pine bonsai thrive in intense heat and do well in temperatures over 100℉. However, they also tolerate cold conditions well. They have a durable root system and can handle temperatures well below 0℉.
Sun Exposure
Lodgepole pine tolerate full sun and need it for a minimum of around four hours per day.
Without full sun, lodgepole pine begins to struggle because:
● They don’t backbud as proficiently.
● Their needles get longer.
● They get weaker.
Fertilizing
Light to moderate fertilization is ideal over the fall. Because lodgepole pine is a short-needle single-flush pine, an established tree can be heavily fed over the spring season to get a pronounced push out of growth. This growth can be pinched to transition energy to stimulate new bud growth and achieve density quickly.
Once the spring flush hardens off, pull back on fertilization through early summer and completely stop by the end of the summer. Once fall rolls around, begin again with a light to moderate fertilization.
Because lodgepole pine is native to higher elevations, it will swell and add vascular tissue rapidly.
This can cause:
● Wire biting in
● Bark to shed; or
● Overgrowth into deadwood
Pruning
It’s ideal to prune lodgepole pine bonsai in the early spring when temperatures are not too warm, just before the flush of its growth. This is when sap flow is at a lower rate, allowing for the lodgepole to “bleed” less sap when being cut. If the tree bleeds a lot of its sap, it’s thought to be losing some of its energy.
If you notice a lot of sap loss, immediately stop. Wrap the branches, cauterize them, and stop sap flow. If pruning is unsuccessful in the spring, early fall would be the best time to fix any structural damage and attempt pruning again.
Because lodgepole pine is a short-needle single-flush pine, it needs help to redistribute energy and create new needle mass. You can achieve this by using the pinching process—pinching strong areas to medium areas first before pinching a second time from medium areas to weaker areas.
This pinching process allows you to:
● Control and refine
● Tighten and compact; and
● Transition energy
Repotting
The optimal time to repot a lodgepole pine is when the candles begin to swell. However, remember that you never want to bare root any conifers during the repotting process. Because the strength of pine comes from the root, you need to leave a substantial amount of root untouched to be successful.
A soil like 1:1:1 akadama, pumice, and lava, ⅛ to ¼ inch interior soil size is the best for lodgepole pine to grow. It has porosity, retains nutrients longer, and promotes a healthy root structure.
Propagation
Lodgepole pine is primarily propagated through seeds, which has been very successful.
Similar to other types of pine, lodgepole likely has a scarification process to germinate.
Research on lodgepole pine regeneration dates back to the mid-1900s when experiments were done on regenerating lodgepole pine with and without fire to determine which seeds were viable to germinate.
Pests/Disease
Generally, pines suffer from woolly adelgid bugs. Lodgepole pine bonsai is no different. The woolly adelgids feed by sucking sap from the trees in the early spring.
Historically, lodgepole pine was removed and devastated by a native wood-boring beetle. Over 95% of lodgepole pine along the Continental Divide of Colorado, Wyoming, and up to Canada suffered.
Some diseases also impact lodgepole pine, including mistletoe and diplodia.
Lodgepole pine is highly susceptible to mistletoe in lower elevations. Mistletoe will cause abnormal swellings and large knuckles or bumps along the branches and trunk.
Diplodia tip blight is a fungal pathogen that infects cones, needles, and stems of various trees. Its black dots are easy to spot, so you’ll quickly know if your lodgepole pine is infected.
Wiring
Wiring lodgepole pine bonsai allows you to force the tree to grow in the desired shape and helps you control where new buds will emerge. It also promotes energy distribution throughout the tree.
Wiring is usually best done in the winter or early fall months.
Lodgepole Pine Bonsai FAQs
Buying Information
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