All aboard the Mugo train!

[Vance Wood]

I didn't know mugo grew in Florida, I thought they were more of a colder species on a whole? Also That mugo is only cool if you got a trunk line in there!

I know that that is the story we keep hearing. Understanding that I am not capable of growing Mugos everywhere at the same time I can only accept what others have been saying understanding that I have yet, till now, to find anyone who seriously wants to try. Most of what I have encountered have been instances of individuals trying to grow them like Japanese Black Pine and all I have heard from have failed. I still believe that if you can grow any Pine there you have a shot with the Mugo Pine. We shall see.

 

[Lazylightningny]

I removed a few extraneous branches from the knuckles yesterday to open it up to the light a little

 

[Vance Wood]

I removed a few extraneous branches from the knuckles yesterday to open it up to the light a little

That's no problem. I was asked a question on one of my videos where I recomended the removal of the lower branches to help thicken the trunk. At least this is the way one viewer took my advise. I have not gone back and reviewed the video and I suppose I should but; the point is, if you do not clean up and de-branch the knuckles, especially the lower ones, it is the knuckle that will gain girth and not the trunk below it.

 

[Lazylightningny]

That's no problem. I was asked a question on one of my videos where I recomended the removal of the lower branches to help thicken the trunk. At least this is the way one viewer took my advise. I have not gone back and reviewed the video and I suppose I should but; the point is, if you do not clean up and de-branch the knuckles, especially the lower ones, it is the knuckle that will gain girth and not the trunk below it.

I suppose at some point, the knuckles have to be eliminated entirely, once you have enough viable, healthy back-branching?

 

[Vance Wood]

The knuckles will eventually be absorbed in the thickening of the trunk, if you don't allow them to get so thick in the beginning that it becomes imposible to remove or over-power them. I have started cutting them off when they present what I consider an unsurmountable obsticle. Mugos back bud so profusely, if treated the right way, it is not a major problem to get eipicormic buds to pop below the knuckle if the tree is not too old and it is healthy.

This of course takes time but I have been telling people that Mugos are not really instant bonsai material with good promise. Go on the INTERNET and research Mugo Pine Bonsai and whatch some of the Youtube Videos. some are very good and some are not. Many will demonstrate what I have been saying; a lot of people do not have a clue what to do with a Mugo Pine for a variety of reasons. Mostly; the fear of cutting something off. It seems that many, getting into bonsai are afraid to remove something, for fear they may want it latter: Been there done that. If you approach a Nursery Mugo without understanding that you are going to have to basically cut the tree down and then train it up into a decent bonsai you will eventually give up on the tree.

 

[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. 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.

 

[Vance Wood]

You should be OK you sill have active and vigorous growth all the way around the tree.

 

[Giga]

Here's one I've been playing with

 

[Vance Wood]

Thank You for posting this. It's nice to see after all these years the frequency of Mugo Pine postings.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Hey there sir. I really want to know what you think of this guy. I'll get some better pics this week. The trunk is an easy 2" the overall tree as it sits is probably 18-24" tall, I want to bring that down to around 12" But first I need to know what to do. Its been in this pot a #1 Anderson for years it would appear, it is very happy though, new growth for the year has already hardened off. I was thing repot and start working the roots this year then style next year. I'm really in no rush but its quite obvious this tree is very ready for work.

Cut back to one of the first 2 branches and develop from there. The lower one gives the trunk a change of direction closer to the ground. But either would be fine. Depending on whether your root system would work well with it I like the cascade Idea. I see cascades in everything.

 

[Vance Wood]

Could one of you two guys point me toward the post # where I can see this tree please. I have scrolled back to page five and cannot find it.

 

[M. Frary]

Could one of you two guys point me toward the post # where I can see this tree please. I have scrolled back to page five and cannot find it.

Post 66 Vance. Page 4 wouldn't you know.

 

[Vance Wood]

Cut back to one of the first 2 branches and develop from there. The lower one gives the trunk a change of direction closer to the ground. But either would be fine. Depending on whether your root system would work well with it I like the cascade Idea. I see cascades in everything.

I agree with this approach. Do this in July. You could also take the same approach a series of branches higher. However; trying to make a bonsai out of the entire tree will leave you with a failure tree a couple of years down the road.

 

[ghues]

Hi Sandy,
Our club is growing out a few hundred of these in a local field and we dont have many members that have experience with them......we've wired many of the bases for movement but they are a few years away from digging.
Just curious about this quote of yours.........
"I am going to try and age that branch and see if I can get an estimate on the tree with proportionate size with the trunk."
If you mean getting the age of that branch and then using its radius versus the radius of the trunk gives you its true age....it doesn't work that way. The branch is very low so my assumption would be that it was on the tree within its first couple of years of growth, unless there are scars showing that lower branches were cut off. Age of the tree would be nice to know ....... but your tree alludes to age by the character of the bark and that IMHO is more important than knowing that the tree is 10, 20 or 30 lol.
Cheers and good luck.
Graham

 

[KennedyMarx]

Here is one I picked up the other day. That brings me up to two of them now. This one has around a one inch base or so. I didn't feel like getting the calipers out. I got it home and reduced all the branching to sets of two branches. Removed a couple spindly week branches down low and tried to get rid of any of the browned out needles.

The label said dwarf mugo pine 'Enano' but also labeled Pumilio.

 

[Joedes3]

Any After pictures?
Joedes

 

[Vance Wood]

You have a decent trunk to start with. This is what I tell all of the people who will listen; start with the trunk, the hardest element to develop out of nothing. Then you proceed up the tree and try to at least mentally isolate a single trunk line. This process may involve taking directions off onto side branches. Remember; with Mugo Pines the trees tend to form knuckles all over the locations where the major buds break in the Spring. You need to realize that you cannot use every thing you find on the tree and at this point you have to think about what to eliminate. Don't think upright, any form, cascade, wind swept, slanting, or run over by a truk style (one of my favorites), think tree. I know that sounds stupid but Mr. Miyogi in Karate Kid had it right: "Think Tree Daniel San, Think Tree." Let your mind go and look for the real possibilities the tree is giving you. Only take the tree as far as you can see where it is going.

I would start by removing those lower branches you can see in the second photograph. I would then consider the larger main branches just above those.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I have two or three knuckles to deal with. There isn't a main trunk going vertically. The thickest "trunk" is that first branch going horizontally then the opposite side there is a slightly thinner branch on the opposite side. A smaller trunk is between the two. There are knuckles at the end of all three. It seems like the best course of action would be to get back budding from before the knuckle spots and eventually cut back to those buds.

It pretty much looks exactly the same (big overgrown mass of pine needles). I can upload a pic if you'd really like.

Thanks to your instructions, Vance, the mugo I got last year is still alive and put out some candles but it wasn't vigorous. I'm letting it grow this year uninterrupted. It also has the issue with the knuckles.

 

[Vance Wood]

Sometimes the knuckles will be absorbed by the growth of the tree if they are not allowed to develop more than one branch. I know these trees are somewhat complicated and that there are certain things that you have to watch out for, sometimes by the seat of your pants----you have to figure out things through instinct and experience. Can you give me a picture of the one you got last year? Was this tree repotted, if so when? How much was it pruned, and or wired etc. I really kind of need to know what you guys are doing. How far are things being taken. Believe I am as much indebted to you and thankful, for your efforts as you are for my advise.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I don't have a picture at the moment. I'll have to take one when I am home later.

I cut off the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the rootball. Combed out the roots somewhat and out it into a pond basket then back filled it with 1/4" size pumice. I was flying by the seat of my pants. I realized afterwards your advice was to take a couple sections of root totaling about 1/3 the rootball to comb out and rinse off then backfill good fresh soil in those areas.

I put some organic fertilizer on the soil surface and it was overwatered a little bit. It has a lot of brown tips from the overwatering last year. All the new growth from this year is a nice healthy green. I've been giving it plenty of fertilizer. I'm really happy that it even survived. I had some seedling Japanese black, red, and white pines that didn't make it due to my incompetence and inexperience with pines.