Hi, first of all, Pinea pinea is not 'umbrella' pine, it is 'Stone' pine, a Meditarranean tree (Sciadopytis is 'umbrella pine' - and not a pine at all!). Second, they are all very much outdoor trees, though you can't put them out now, but wait til seedlings have grown up a bit, like in in the late summer (so they can acclimatize to autumn). Actually, they can go out before then, but need protection from wind and rain, etc. Otherwise they like the sun (tho' can't handle what they will as 'adults'), a gritty, fast draining soil (when you transplant into pots), and to be watered only when the compost dries out more so than less (again, only when they're older - for now they will need not soggy soil, but not to really dry out at all. Bonsai food is regular balanced fertilizer - but none til they're almost ready to go out, and by then something with a lower 1st number (the nitrogen) is best for pines. Good luck. The only comment I have is that those kits are mostly money making gimmicks, and if you really want to do bonsai, get 3-5 yr old 1-2 gal. trees or shrubs from a local nursery - but do some reading first. Your trees (just regular trees that will grow like any other) until you work on them, won't be ready to do anything 'bonsai' to until they're at least 5 anyway...

Hi Lucy,

Thanks for the info. I just copied the details off the box for the kit so they made the mistake with the classification!

The kit only cost me £10 so it's not too bad.

Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

Should also have mentioned the the stone (pinea) will need some protection next winter outside.. like in a larger pot with lots of mulch in between, or an attached garage, etc.

First of all I feel I should make a correction: Lucy wrote: first of all, Pinea pinea is not 'umbrella' pine, it is 'Stone' pine, a Mediterranean tree (Sciadopytis is 'umbrella pine' - and not a pine at all!).

This tree is in fact a real honest to goodness pine tree, Pinus Pinea, it is sometimes called Umbrella Pine,Stone Pine, and Italian Stone Pine. It got the misnomer Umbrella Pine due to the way it grew when planted in the Kew Gardens. It should do well where you live as there is a full grown example in the Kew Gardens. Ernie Kuo is a specialist in the tree and his site has some pretty good examples.

Picea Pungens is Colorado Spruce, and Picea Abies is Norway Spruce. Both of these are adaptable to almost any temperate climate and make decent bonsai, though they can be difficult to style because of their flexibility.

Vance Wood.

Vance, just for the record, I didn't say pinea wasn't a pine, but Sciadopytis, which I've always known as Umbrella pine (and seen it sold that way). If pinea is also known by that 'common' name, I guess I just learned something.

I didn't say that you did, if you go back and re-read my response. I only added the comment that I add that Pinus Pinea was indeed a pine because the first time I read your response I took it to mean that Pinus Pinea was not a pine, which you did not do. I mentioned what I mentioned in case someone else, on first reading, made the same mistake.

Incidentally there is a cultivar of Japanese Red Pine that is also called Umbrella Pine, Pinus Densiflora Umbracafolia.

Vance Wood.

And some people wonder why the Latin naming system is used! Hope 2006 is less confusing :-).

I am glad you brought that up, that is exactly why Latin names are so important. However sometimes there is even confusion there because the powers that be often see fit to change them. It can be maddening.

Vance Wood.

Thanks for the info everyone.

I only planted the seeds less than 2 weeks ago and I'm already seeing seedlings emerging, do they normally grow that fast? In fact are they even meant to be growing this time of year??

Neuromancer, it depends on where you have the seeds/seedlings. If they are inside or undercover after a period of freezing temperatures, they have probably been tricked into thinking it's now spring and therefore time to emerge.
As for inside/outside, it would be better to get some local advice (is there a bonsai club/nursery near you?), but all temperate bonsai like to spend as much time outside as possible. Note that even if they are frost/snow hardy, the pots may not be!
Incidentally, your post reminded me of my first bonsai kt, about 20 years ago. The trees survived well outside until I moved overseas and their tree-sitter forgot to water them in the summer...