All aboard the Mugo train!

[Vance Wood]

Do not do the cut it like a pie for now. I don't care much for the soil mix. Sphagnum moss, and perlite are things I have little use for, sorry. I use Pine Bark mulch sold as composted soil conditioner, swimming pool filter sand #3 or #2 grit, some charcoal, Pumice or Turface or red volcanic gravel the small stuff. Mix it approximately in thirds by volume and there you go. It's not rocket science. But by the time you get perlite and sphagnum wet and stable the tree could be dead. You can do some basic styling. Good luck, Watch the watering the tree may not be taking up water at first you don't want to water log it. This will change rapidly so watch it closely. I don't teach the pie cuts any longer because without actually showing how this is done a lot of people have been doing this to aggressively.

 

[Alain]

Thanks a lot!
So I'll wait at least a little while before repotting it, the time I get all your soil compounds.
Although for the volcanic I have some 1/8" kanuma left from my last azalea repotting. Pines are supposed to be acid lovers too so may be that's good for them?

Thanks God I don't have to do the pie stuff! Actually I didn't really get this part of your threads

 

[Vance Wood]

I have found that Pines are more neutral in preference.

 

[Alain]

I have found that Pines are more neutral in preference.

But don't you recommend feeding them with some Miracid during the growing season? (I think I remember that but I'm not at home and don't have my 'Mugo' folder to check on your threads).

 

[Vance Wood]

Variety is the spice of life; yes but it is not a necessity.

 

[Dave E]

found some $19.99 3 gallon mugos and had to pick one up.

i know i'm gonna hear i did to much to it at one time but i've been reading alot about the abuse they can take and judging by what my son did to his mugo 5 or 6 weeks ago i'd say they can take it.
it's in a 9x3x11" sort of rectangular colander i got at the dollar store
the tree had all kinds of dead needles and junk on the surface and was extremely root bound and i did more root work than i originaly planned but it needed it
the fatest part of the trunk is 3" and the nebari 6".

 

[Lazylightningny]

I don't teach the pie cuts any longer because without actually showing how this is done a lot of people have been doing this to aggressively.

Vance, could you do a video on the pie cut some time this summer?

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance, could you do a video on the pie cut some time this summer?

We can do that ----- I think.

 

[Vance Wood]

found some $19.99 3 gallon mugos and had to pick one up.

i know i'm gonna hear i did to much to it at one time but i've been reading alot about the abuse they can take and judging by what my son did to his mugo 5 or 6 weeks ago i'd say they can take it.
it's in a 9x3x11" sort of rectangular colander i got at the dollar store
the tree had all kinds of dead needles and junk on the surface and was extremely root bound and i did more root work than i originaly planned but it needed it
the fatest part of the trunk is 3" and the nebari 6".
View attachment 76422 View attachment 76423 View attachment 76424 View attachment 76425

Looks good. I don't think you are going to have a problem. Most of the time people who run into trouble have that trouble because they do not leave any kind of balance on all aspects of the tree. When you start taking one side of the tree off without thinking about what you are doing this is the likely time you will lose a tree.

 

[Dave E]

thanks Vance,
what techniques would you recommend to try to promote back budding.

 

[Vance Wood]

thanks Vance,
what techniques would you recommend to try to promote back budding.

Let the tree rest till the end of July then go through and cut all of the new growth just above the point where it began this spring.

Check the video for details.

 

[Dave E]

huge help- thanks
does this work for all pines or just mugo

 

[Vance Wood]

It will work for all two needle Pines you are likely to encounter. Do not use this for five needle Pines. Just so you understand the difference. Mugos and Scots Pines are single flush Pines they will produce only one push or flush of new growth a year. Treating these two Pines with this method will produce an abundance of new buds all over the branches. These buds will open in the following spring. Japanese Red and Japanese Black Pines, if they are healthy, will produce a second flush of new growth, meaning you will get a second batch of new candles and needles.

 

[sorce]

I was at the depot yesterday.

My Mugo looks way better than theirs!

Haaaay!

Sorce

 

[Alain]

Ok, here is my little buddy in its new colander bedding... (well first a 'before' then an 'after' pictures)

I also prune it a bite in order to open the foliage however it remains a very bushy vision because I let more than 1" to all the branches I cut as I read in Vance posts. Next year I will clean up a big part of these cut branches that should be dead by then.

Now my plan is: let in the shade for a couple of weeks and then let it grow for a (long I guess) while
Is that the right plan to follow?

 

[Kandoloh]

This thread making me want one lol would they be ok in zone 8a?

 

[M. Frary]

This thread making me want one lol would they be ok in zone 8a?

I really shouldn't think so. They need cold. Not frost but sustained freezing cold for dormancy. Do you even get frost? I was in Houston in September and October and it was the hottest temps I had ever experienced. Brutal.

 

[barrosinc]

Not frost but sustained freezing cold for dormancy.

If so mine should be a goner...
We almost never get a full 24hr under freezing and get like 10 nights a year below freezing.

Why do nurseries even carry stuff that will die almost certainly in a year??

 

[M. Frary]

Maybe I'm wrong and really hope I am Max. I like yours and hope it does well.

 

[Alain]

If so mine should be a goner...
We almost never get a full 24hr under freezing and get like 10 nights a year below freezing.

Why do nurseries even carry stuff that will die almost certainly in a year??

May be they aren't that picky when plant in the ground?...

The good thing of leaving in IL: I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of dormancy time for mine