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Japanese White Pine - Pinus parviflora |
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| Common Name: |
Japanese White Pine or Five Needle Pine |
| Scientific Name: |
Pinus parviflora |
| Hardiness Zone: |
4B through 7A |
| Family: |
Pinaceae |
General Information
Origin is Japan. Introduced in 1861. Japanese White Pine creates a striking landscape element wherever it is used. Considered a classic bonsai, the Japanese White Pine is beautiful, hardy, and a perfect choice for both beginners and advanced bonsai growers. More vigorous when grafted onto black pine roots, and most specimens available in this country are grafts imported from Japan.
Basic Care
| Bark Characteristics: |
Bark: On young trees smooth, gray, eventually becoming darker gray and platy, scaly on old trunks. |
| Leaf/Foliage Characteristics: |
Leaf shape: needle-like (filiform) in groups of 5. Leaf blade length: 1 1/4 to 2 1/2" long, 1/25" wide Leaf color: Bluish green, sometimers grass green with 3 to 4 stomatic bands on inner sides of needles |
| Growth Characteristics |
Height: 25 to 50 feet Spread: 25 to 50 feet Growth rate: slow |
| Flower/Fruit Characteristics: |
Flower color: yellow Fruit shape: oval, cone Fruit length: 1 to 3 inches, 3 to 6 inches Fruit covering: dry or hard Fruit color: red, brown |
| Lighting: |
Japanese White Pine needs full sun and somewhat cool climates. |
| Watering: |
Daily in summer but soil needs to be free draining to prevent root rot. Sparingly during winter months. |
| Feeding: |
Arial |
| Pruning/Wiring: |
Branch pruning and wiring should be done in late autumn, and the wire left on the tree for 6-8 months. The primary method of pinching five needle pine is to reduce the candles to 1/2 to 1/3 of their initial length in mid spring, just before the needles begin to open. This should be done over a two or three week period, starting with the strong (upper) candles, and ending with the weak (lowest and inside) candles. |
| Propagation: |
Propagation is by seed or airlayering. The variety 'zushio' can be propogated by cuttings. Stratification: Seeds should be stratified for 90 days at 33 to 41 degrees F in moist medium. |
| Potting: |
Repot every 2 or 3 years for young trees (up to 10 years) or every 3 to 5 years for older trees. Repotting can be done in early spring or in early autumn, after the heat of summer has passed. These are the two periods of greatest root growth in pines. Reduce roots when transplanting by no less than 1/3. A good free draining soil is required. As a conifer tree, the Japanese White Pine actually grows because of a symbiotic fungus found in the rootball. If the fungus were not present, the tree would likely die. Therefore, this type of bonsai should never be bare rooted. |
| Pests: |
Aphids, mealy bug & red spider mites, Pine Bark Agelid, pine needle scale , pine needle miner, pine weevil, bark beetles and pinewood nematode to name a few. |
| Diseases: |
They can be subject to many diseases, such as damping off, root rot, dieback, blister rust, canker, blight. |
| Bibliography: |
USDA Fact Sheet ST-470; hort.ufl.edu, edis.ifas.ufl.edu, mababonsai.org |
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