The shape of pine needles gives us clues to our pine care.
Generally the straighter and shorter the needle the better. For clean profiles on our mature pine bonsai that is the preference. The tree looks tighter, less gangly, and we can organize foliage pads with greater precision—handy if the tree will be in a show.
If the needle is too short then the pine might weaken, so this is just a general guideline.
In summer, needles have stopped growing and we have an opportunity to see what our spring transgressions or victories have been.
These are needles from well-maintained pines, straight and not twisting. Well-maintained for mature bonsai, that is. If your plant is in development, long needles or twisting is of little importance. From left: Shore Pine, Limber Pine, Japanese White Pine.
These needles are from pines that have either been over-watered or over-fertilized. They are long and have significant twists. Ponderosa Pine, left, Japanese White Pine, right.
Overwatering is not necessarily your fault. Not that it’s your neighbor’s, but a rainy spring can cause excessive needle elongation. Fertilizer also can play a role.
Like many plants, pines are opportunistic. If given a resource in excess of their needs they will use it, not always in a manner we would like. Excess of either water or fertilizer in pines is expressed in long needles, often with twists.
August 2025 Bulletin Board
- This fall my offbeat educational book Bonsai Heresy goes the presses for its 3rd printing! The best-selling, funny, offbeat educational book looks into our group fallacies and offers better alternatives. Fifteen years in the writing and featuring the whimsical illustrations of the great Sergio Cuan. Buy a copy at Stone Lantern.
If you missed the 8/8/25 post with the survey results, here they are again:
- This June I posted Blog Survey: What Do You Want To Read? There were 66 responses to the survey. It asked what your preference was for the six categories I tend to post about (technical, development, puzzlers, travelogue, unique stories, and book / course reviews). Here’s a summation of your answers, as a percentage. Most respondents combined Technical and Development, so I will replicate that here:
- 63% — Technical / Development
- 22% — All Categories
- 15% — Puzzlers
- The remaining categories got only 1 or 2 votes, although many respondents suggested other content to post about. The highest of these were:
- 9% — Younger, less developed plants
- 7% — Pots
I will try to keep your wishes in mind moving forward. Thanks so much for the responses!