All aboard the Mugo train!

[bonsaiBlake]

If you think the tree can handle it I would really like to lop off that entire top knuckle. The tree lies within the lower 2 branches like you originally suggested, I have plenty of time at the same time I don't want to waste time developing a part of a tree that gets chopped anyways. I was planning a 2 year reduction then a first styling on yr3. if I can remove the upper branches without losing the tree I would like to do that. Its a very healthy happy tree. i just don't know how much i can push the removal of foliage. I'm willing to sacrifice time for the health of the tree.

 

[Dave E]

well i'd like to join this train.

i went to the garden center the other day to get pumice.i told my self "you're getting pumice and thats it-you have enough trees-don't even look at them"

so....the first place i went when i got there was to look at the trees,i couldn't help it they were calling me.

i found a bunch of dwarf mugo's in gallon pots,i looked through them and they all had trunks the size of pencils.but i was attracted to the wad of exposed roots that this one has and i bought it.

gonna try to find the bonsai in it this weekend.

 

[Vance Wood]

If you think the tree can handle it I would really like to lop off that entire top knuckle. The tree lies within the lower 2 branches like you originally suggested, I have plenty of time at the same time I don't want to waste time developing a part of a tree that gets chopped anyways. I was planning a 2 year reduction then a first styling on yr3. if I can remove the upper branches without losing the tree I would like to do that. Its a very healthy happy tree. i just don't know how much i can push the removal of foliage. I'm willing to sacrifice time for the health of the tree.

That sounds like a viable plan.

 

[Vance Wood]

well i'd like to join this train.

i went to the garden center the other day to get pumice.i told my self "you're getting pumice and thats it-you have enough trees-don't even look at them"

so....the first place i went when i got there was to look at the trees,i couldn't help it they were calling me.

i found a bunch of dwarf mugo's in gallon pots,i looked through them and they all had trunks the size of pencils.but i was attracted to the wad of exposed roots that this one has and i bought it.

gonna try to find the bonsai in it this weekend.
View attachment 76003 View attachment 76004

This has the possibility of being a great tree. If I had encounter this little gem the first thing I would do would be to place it in a colander for a couple of years. If you can find a colander that is about 12" in diameter I would be glad to talk you through the process of putting the tree into it. Let me know.

 

[drew33998]

I ended up cutting off much more than 50%. I definitely should have stopped sooner but I kept . Basically I cut ever knuckle to one branch and ever bud down to two lateral buds, keeping the weaker buds up top and stronger pair down bottom.View attachment 74932 If it dies because I cut too much off then at least I will know how much is too much. The good thing is I can get another when I go see my sis in several weeks when she gives birth to her first baby.

So I may or may not have some issues. I have moved this guy from the shade as I noticed the candles moving. One issue I have is the side with the better movement is weaker. I left less branch lets on that side unknowingly. So do I do nothing this year since I really chopped this one back? Also I noticed some girdling roots. Advice? Ps I know the silicone is ugly but that was all I had and I didn't want extensive dieback.

 

[Dave E]

This has the possibility of being a great tree. If I had encounter this little gem the first thing I would do would be to place it in a colander for a couple of years. If you can find a colander that is about 12" in diameter I would be glad to talk you through the process of putting the tree into it. Let me know.

thanks for the offer and i probably should have waited to get advice.....but i already thinned it down quite a bit and put it in a pot
later i'll post pics of it as well as some pics of a mugo my son started a few weeks ago

 

[Dave E]

well i'd like to join this train.

i went to the garden center the other day to get pumice.i told my self "you're getting pumice and thats it-you have enough trees-don't even look at them"

so....the first place i went when i got there was to look at the trees,i couldn't help it they were calling me.

i found a bunch of dwarf mugo's in gallon pots,i looked through them and they all had trunks the size of pencils.but i was attracted to the wad of exposed roots that this one has and i bought it.

gonna try to find the bonsai in it this weekend.
View attachment 76003 View attachment 76004

ok here's what i came up with-fire away with the critiques-good or bad-i have thin skin and can use the advice

 

[Alain]

Hi there,
I have a couple of questions and worries.

For the moment I didn't do anything to my little mugo that I bought 2 weeks ago because I read in Vance Wood's posts that one has to wait until summer to re-pot them. So it's still in the nursery pot I bought it.
Also it was in direct sun as I read that they like it and the sun wasn't that present here in IL. However the weather is a bitch this year with a rainy day in the 50's followed by a sunny one in the 80's and back. So my pine ended-up spending at least one day in the really hot sun. And now some of it's needles turned brown.
I put it back in a place where it gets the sun only in the morning (too 10 am approx) but I'm worried: are the brown needles the result of this sun exposure or could they indicate a more severe issue?

The questions now:
- will it helps if I re-pot it (now) in a drainage mix in a colander or do I wait till end of June/beginning of July?
- speaking of colander: the only cheap ones I found in the Dollar stores seem very shallow to me. Is their size fine? If not and if I can't find some cheap deeper ones: the colander is to ensure a good drainage right? I have a bunch of regular nursery pots of all sizes. Will it be ok to pot my pine in one of them making sure the drainage is fine (by drilling a bunch of holes all over the pot for example?)

 

[Vance Wood]

Drew: It should be OK but I would not remove anything else for a couple of years. Hopefull you should get a bunch of back budding.

 

[drew33998]

Drew: It should be OK but I would not remove anything else for a couple of years. Hopefull you should get a bunch of back budding.

Could you give me a basic schedule to go by for the next few years? This is my first pine. By not removing anything do you mean do not cut candles either? How about repotting? I have read about your summer repotting in quarter sections I believe. Im thinking not to repot this year either? Thanks Vance

 

[Vance Wood]

Wait a couple 0f weeks before moving into the sun. Water once a day unless it seems to be staying wet. Water twice a day if it gets hot. Other than that leave it alone.

 

[parhamr]

Here’s the latest: I just repotted my two dwarf mugo into 12" plastic collanders. I chose this weekend because a heatwave has just passed and the newest growth has almost fully extended.

The loose soil fell away as I handled the trees. They had not become rootbound, but I specifically wanted to decrease the organic contents of the soil.


The inner soil closest to the trunk was heavily organic. Few roots were growing there. I was careful to re-use the inoculated soil and I tried to minimize root disturbances.





These two get about 12 hours of sun from morning to late afternoon.

 

[Vance Wood]

Let me know how they are doing as the summer progresses.

 

[sorce]

Hi there,
I have a couple of questions and worries.

For the moment I didn't do anything to my little mugo that I bought 2 weeks ago because I read in Vance Wood's posts that one has to wait until summer to re-pot them. So it's still in the nursery pot I bought it.
Also it was in direct sun as I read that they like it and the sun wasn't that present here in IL. However the weather is a bitch this year with a rainy day in the 50's followed by a sunny one in the 80's and back. So my pine ended-up spending at least one day in the really hot sun. And now some of it's needles turned brown.
I put it back in a place where it gets the sun only in the morning (too 10 am approx) but I'm worried: are the brown needles the result of this sun exposure or could they indicate a more severe issue?

The questions now:
- will it helps if I re-pot it (now) in a drainage mix in a colander or do I wait till end of June/beginning of July?
- speaking of colander: the only cheap ones I found in the Dollar stores seem very shallow to me. Is their size fine? If not and if I can't find some cheap deeper ones: the colander is to ensure a good drainage right? I have a bunch of regular nursery pots of all sizes. Will it be ok to pot my pine in one of them making sure the drainage is fine (by drilling a bunch of holes all over the pot for example?)

Looks like the branch may be broke.

The most important thing a colander does is airprune the roots. That colander is good size, but I would drill holes from the inside out on top. You, or I at least, want your top surface roots especially to airprune.

I wouldn't much worry about the weather. I haven't done but a little pruning on mine, still in nursery container. In keeping it in my "afternoon oven" and those hot days ain't been too bad!

I do have to water it A Lot! I can hear it taking up water!

Sorce

 

[Vance Wood]

I have mentioned it berfore that they like a lot of water but do not like to be wet----and that is not a contradiction in terms. It means the tree needs a fast draining soil mix. Does this tree need repotting? Without actually seeing the tree it's hard to say. How big is the tree and how large is the colander? You may have already posted a picture but if you could re-post one or post a current picture with the brown needles it would help. Also put the colander along side the tree and let's see.

 

[Alain]

I have mentioned it berfore that they like a lot of water but do not like to be wet----and that is not a contradiction in terms.

Does this tree need repotting? Without actually seeing the tree it's hard to say. How big is the tree and how large is the colander? You may have already posted a picture but if you could re-post one or post a current picture with the brown needles it would help. Also put the colander along side the tree and let's see.

I know for the 'like a lot of water but do not like to be wet' part as I read all your threads summarized by Lazyligthiny.
That's actually the reason why I'm torn between my desire to pot it asap in a draining mix soil and let it untouched until Summer or at least Father day as you recommend.
What should I do? Pot it now or wait?

Otherwise when you say that you need to see the tree, by 'tree' you mean the trunk and branches?
If so it's kind of hard to take a picture of it because it's really small and bushy so the trunk and branches are hard to see for the moment.
When I'll pot it in it's draining soil I plan to do the first structural pruning in the meantime and then the tree will be much more visible.
Anyway.
The base of the trunk is approx. 1" and the trunk height approx. 4"
I took more pictures of the tree in the colander and also in another colander that I had but forgot about.
This second colander is bigger but it's in metal however it's supposed to be stainless. Would it work? Otherwise would the red plastic one be big enough?

 

[Vance Wood]

The stainless colander will work better but it does not matter. How lose is the soil around the roots or is it filled with roots making the soil ball hard and impenetrable?

 

[Alain]

The stainless colander will work better but it does not matter. How lose is the soil around the roots or is it filled with roots making the soil ball hard and impenetrable?

Here is a picture of the root ball, the black line approximately represents where I plan to cut the ball (as you said in your threads that at least 1/3 of the bottom of the soil mass has to be cut)
The soil ball seems pretty filled and hard to me.

 

[Vance Wood]

That's good and that's where it sould cut. Use a saw it's easier and eaiser on the tree. Take a sharp stick and loosen the roots from the outside of what's left after the saw cut. Just get the roots that are growing around the soil ball loose.

 

[Alain]

That's good and that's where it sould cut. Use a saw it's easier and eaiser on the tree. Take a sharp stick and loosen the roots from the outside of what's left after the saw cut. Just get the roots that are growing around the soil ball loose.

Thanks!
So I could do that now right? I don't wait July?

Otherwise a couple more questions:
- for all my trees in training the draining mix I use is the one recommend by Brent Watson: 8 parts perlite + 8 parts pine bark + 1 part sphagnum moss + osmocote (14/14/14), except for azalea where I replace the osmocote by a Vigoro fertilizer for acid loving plants. Is this mix fine?
- do I do the 'cut it like a pie' part of your repotting description?
- could I prune it in the meantime? (branch pruning in order to 'lighten' the tree and give it it's first 'styling') or do I wait for later in the season? (I saw your video on the zombie mugo so I know that the branches can't be cut close to the trunk)