is it a trick of the camera.. or did the needles shorten substantially ...

i have seen such before ... and i often wondered if it was a function of the fertilizer needs of potted stock???

thx for the pix..

ken

ps: an old theme.. you still have grass out front??? .. lol .. and how is that hill off towards the neighbor doing ... ireena was so proud of her new grass in her post ... and the first thing i thought of reading that .. was kidding you about making yours disappear .. ah.. the good old days]

It really does look like the needles are shorter as the little tree is growing. It looks like a very slow growing Pinus. Thanks for sharing the 4 year growing results.

You bet Ken, that's how it looks. I've heard of this feature from some dwarf/miniature plants - they grow a little faster/happier and then slow down once they get some age. I am not sure what the cause is but there are some obvious possibilities.

Like you said, for sure a loss of some nurtients is likely, as potting medium is usually pretty nice stuff. The ground it's in really is brutal soil, probably waste soil from my house foundation.

I think the natural aging of the plant may be a factor though as well. It's also possible it was simply a seasonal photo difference. I'll have to watch closer next year but many of my pines have a varied look throughout the candles opening to full needles. I try and take photos at roughly the same time each year but it's not an easy task.

Glad these time-lapse threads are still interesting to folks, I have a few hundred more I can contribute over the next year or so. :)

-Will

That's such a lovely plant. It looks sort of like 'Pixie' in miniature. I'm so glad you shared these pictures. I am was thinking of picking one up myself, and now I'm sure.

hey

i was hoping Bob might chime in on my fert theory ... or any of the pro's who might know ... and to be clear.. i am not implying.. nor inferring ... any issue with hyper-fertilization to 'force' growth ....

but i dont know why you downgrade your native soil ... its as natural as natural can be.. and i am sure there are native trees all over the place ... you make it sound like one should expect it.. in terms of trees/conifers.. to be devoid of life ... as we know.. trees are incredibly adaptable to just about anything ...

its usually when we start amending native soil.. that all the foo foo problems arise ...

with the garden you have built.. in native soil ... i just am not feeling sorry for you ... lol.. so quit complaining ...

the grass out front??? .. lol

ken

ps: i bet there are a number of folks who deal with clay ... who would kill for what you complain about ...