Jack Pine: An Interview With Jerry Vlcek by David Johnson ... Jerry, jack pine or pinus banksiana is found locally in central Ontario and also in the boreal forests from Nova Scotia to Alberta and parts of the northern United States mid-west. Its dark green foliage, short needles, old flaky bark and availability make it ideal for bonsai. More bonsai artists are becoming interested in jack pine. At the Toronto Bonsai Society's September meeting, Walter Pall from Germany said that jack pine had good possibilities for shohin bonsai. Jerry, youhave had extensive experience growing jack pine and recently you had an article published in the Bonsai Clubs International's Bonsai, Sept.-Oct. 2000. Could you expand on some of the points you raised? ... Question: Stunted jack pine are usually found growing on rocks, often in cracks. The soil is limited, composed of eroded stone and a black loamy duff produced from the decomposition of the tree's old needles. Under these circumstances, the soil can be very wet during the spring and fall but quite dry during the summer, forcing the roots deep along any crevice that holds water. What soil mix do you recommend for bonsai jack pine? Answer: Jack pines like sandy, well drained soils. For bonsai culture, use a lot of sand with peat moss and other semi-decomposed organic material in a 50:50 mix ratio. Q: What process do you use to change over collected soil to a bonsai soil? A: I keep the original soil on the roots of collected trees and surround it with your bonsai mix in the growing container or in the ground. When the tree recovers its vigour, you can do a final root pruning - without removing the original soil - and plant it into a bonsai pot by adding your bonsai soil mix around the roots. You can work bonsai soil gradually into the original soil as this old soil decomposes. This goes against recommended rules that call for removing the original soil. I have lost a great tree following those rules but lost no other trees while using the method I mentioned above. Definitely do not wash out the old soil with a hose. Q: How do you water jack pines, keeping in mind the difficulties of watering a tree with different soil compositions and densities in the same container? A: Water to keep the soil in a slightly moist condition. You cannot over water well draining soil. Q: What has been your experience with developing new roots? A: For pines, you must give the tree enough time and care to grow new roots which can take several years. Q: What is the jack pine's reaction to wiring? When do you apply and shape wire? Does the severity of the bend affect the timing? Do you use special protection? Do the branches hold their new position after one, two or three years? A: You can wire a vigorous tree anytime within reason. Keep in mind that wiring and twisting the branches is stressful to the tree. Branches will set in one year although some scarring may occur. These scars will heal in resinous trees like pines. Thick branches require wrapping for severe bending. It is very important to remember that when doing any kind of severe work on pines in particular, the tree must be in good health and vigour. Q: What is the reaction of the tree to branch pruning? Do you leave stubs or make flush cuts? A: I flush cut some branches or turn them into jins as the design leads me. Cuts take a long time to heal but one can mask them until that happens. Q: Does the tree bud back readily on new and old wood? A: Budding can be increased in vigorous trees by needle pruning or the partial removal of the branch. Q: How and when do you practise needle reduction? A: I use traditional methods such as plucking needles that grow underneath and on top of a branch, candle pinching or removal depending upon my objectives, and branch pruning. I do more branch pruning than candle pinching as pinching is hard on the tree's vigour. There is an area at the end of branches that becomes vacated after the male flower drops off in the spring. This area sometimes produces new buds, so don't prune into this area if you want more buds there. Q: How and when do you fertilize? A: During the whole growing season which goes into late fall. Q: Are there any particular insect and disease problems? A: Diseases are rare. Watch out for ants as they usually indicate the presence of aphids or other pests. Q: Are there any other unique characteristics of Jack Pine? Is the Jack Pine more like the Scots Pine in terms of growth or like the Japanese black pine? A: In terms of growth, jack pine is not as strong as the other, bigger native pines but it is a tough cookie because it survives under the most difficult drought conditions where other pines cannot. I cannot compare it to Japanese pines because of my lack of experience with those species. The beauty of collected jack pine lies in its wild artistry, a delight to the bonsai artist. ... The gallery of examples of jack pine bonsai - all collected trees that have been included with this article - shows the great variety of forms and styles that I have worked on for the past 4 to 16 years. Each tree tells a story of survival in the wild and a continued story of life as a bonsai. Some of these stories appear in my videotape. Two of the trees have a new owner. ...