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Hi all, I’ve just bought my first Scots pine. Whilst it was v cheap there are obvious problems even to my untrained eye! I think It’s top heavy; too straggly; all the branches are on one side; the pot is too wide; and all of the candles have died other than the central one on each branch. I was told it was repotted this spring in 100% akadama and they hadn’t done anything to the candles .

I’ve read that Scots pine like very free draining soil so I think I should repot next spring and use a more free flowing soil and incorporate some pumice and lava. Or should I do it now in preparation for winter which is usually wet and cold in the uk? I was also thinking of trying to style it in a cascade or semi cascade but the main branch loops round in a ‘u’ shape and it would mean cutting off A LOT of the thicker primary branches (and being a newbie am a little scared to do so). If I remove the one cone that is left on each branch will this cause back budding next year ? Should I just leave it alone and fertiliser it and see what happens next year? I believe it can be wired in late autumn /winter - which in the uk is probably another 1-2 months away.

Would love to know other people’s thoughts on what could be achieved and whether my thought process is right ... or wrong!

I do not know you hence i do not know your general horticultural knowledge but i would first focus on keeping it alive for at least a year.Health first, everything else follows. In that year you can take your time to see what direction you can take with it and learn what to do when. Take your time, nothing you need to do "now"

Ok thanks for the advice .. I suppose I’m an avid gardener with some basic to good knowledge (but there’s still plenty to learn) but I’m a complete novice when it comes to bonsai . I’d love to join a club but all my local ones are still not meeting due to this damn virus! Should I fertilise it once a month with a low nitrogen fertiliser until, say, March, at which point I’d look to increase the frequency . (We’re heading towards our winter here in the uk although today is yet another glorious warm and sunny day ... not sure how long it’ll last though as it is the uk! lol)

There will be no reason to re pot again next year or for the next few years. The pot is fine for the tree. The soil is fine. You could do some wiring now if you are competent to do it, otherwise wait until you can get some hands on help. You can take the cone off or leave it your choice. The candles should have been pinched in June this year, but as they were not then you will be doing it next year. This is the time of year when last years' needles start to turn brown and can be gently pulled off.
That is about all you can do now. Just water when needed.

Well, I like it very much and I see many good possibilities with this pine. Very good movement and taper.
As already said, don't repot it, keep it healthy and find the best style for it before pruning anything.

Thank you! And yes I will - I’ll probably be posting about it again next year for more advice :lol:

Lots of good advice from the other posts - and all very safe advice to take.

From the photographs, I think the tree has very good potential, but has been limited by the previous owner. IF YOU ARE NOT IN A HURRY, put it into a much larger container (deeper, as well as wider) and give it a year or two to build up its health and throw out a bit more foliage. Importantly, plant it so that the horizontal branch is at 45 degrees (which means that the trunk will be at 45 degrees as well). I think you will be starting to see that makings of a spectacular bonsai by the middle of next year.

I might be constructive to start viewing most of the existing branches as 'sacrificial' for the time being. I think that eventually, you will want to remove most of them. Forget Akadama at the moment - let it grow on for a while in quality horticultural soil for the time being. Avoid applying bonsai techniques for the time being and treat it as grade one Material.

Good luck - I am sure when you show it on this forum in a years time, you are going to get some very constructive suggestions! If you are in a hurry, then just fiddle with it until it looks nice or dies.

Good advice above. Nice looking tree with a good deal of potential.

Fertiliser is typically only added during the growing season. For me (North West UK) this is March (ish) - to Sept (ish) for conifers, and April (ish) to Sept (ish) for deciduous. There is a lot of good information on fertiliser in the forum.

as starting trees go this is a ver nice one. I see a nice styling option in one of your pictures, but you might want to hold off a little untill you know you can care for it.

I WOULD fertilize and with high N.
Nitroger fertilizer in fall builds Nstock for spring. If you want to get good backbudding next summer, it starts with solid fall fertilizer. And a prune-back into the old needle area late next spring (Once the young needles on the tree start to turn "solid" and mature. But it needs a good amount of fertilizer to respond well.

I have fertilized weekly for the last month and will continue to do so on the pines that needs backbudding untill the daytime temps are in the 10c region.

leatherback wrote: If you want to get good backbudding next summer, it starts with solid fall fertilizer.

I have fertilized weekly for the last month and will continue to do so ...

Ah, this is sooooo true!
Pines NEED strong fertilising in the fall specially if they are two flush pines like JBP or JRP.
When it gets to decandling time, mostly mid-summer, they are very strong and mature so they can take the decandling process and send a second flush of growth before the next winter.