Mugo Pine help- Seeking Advice

[billybones]

Hello, I just picked up a dwarf mugo from the nursery and I’m fairly new to bonsai. I need help on a style for the mugo’s first styling. It has about a 3 1/2 inch base but there is a large first branch and a straight trunk. What do y’all think I should consider as design options? Or orientation, gins, and Shari.

 

[Wendy Likly Welch]

Beautiful!

 

[RODERLO]

Hi and welcome! I suggest you look into this very comprehensive guide by our mugo expert Vance Wood who is sadly no longer among us:

https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/compiled-vance-wood-on-mugo-pines.23/

Before styling you will need to ensure proper handling and care for your tree, which this guide outlines perfectly.

If it may interest you, there is also an ongoing contest to honour Vance, in which we try and make the best out of a nursery stock mugo (like yours). I am sure other members will also help guide your decisions, as it might seem a bit daunting as a beginner.

Good luck!

 

[Paradox]

Welcome to BNut
Nice little mugo.

First question you need to answer is do you like the tree at the size it is or do you want it bigger?
There is no wrong answer. I think its cute at the size it is.

 

[billybones]

Welcome to BNut
Nice little mugo.

First question you need to answer is do you like the tree at the size it is or do you want it bigger?
There is no wrong answer. I think it’s cute at the size it is.

Thanks for the quick response! I want to keep it at the size it is, it has a ton of foliage but you may be able to see the trunk has a section that is completely straight and no taper. My instinct is a little drastic and that being to remove the trunk and keep the large first branch on the left as the new trunk line or make it a semi cascade. What do you think?

 

[Paradox]

Thanks for the quick response! I want to keep it at the size it is, it has a ton of foliage but you may be able to see the trunk has a section that is completely straight and no taper. My instinct is a little drastic and that being to remove the trunk and keep the large first branch on the left as the new trunk line or make it a semi cascade. What do you think?

Personally if it was mine, I would try to work with the larger trunk. I think this could make a nice little shohin or a little larger than shohin tree. There is a bend just below your fingers in the last picture and looks like a little taper there.

 

[cishepard]

Welcome! Here is the link to the Vance Wood Mugo contest. Following Vance’s protocols is an easy way for a beginner to learn about Mugo pines … give it a try!

https://www.bonsainut.com/forums/the-2024-vance-wood-memorial-mugo-4-year-contest.92/

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Nursery Mugos toss a bewildering array of branches out. So trying to sort these out into a tree can be tough. A thing to realize right off, is to create a bonsai out of any tree, the final result will not look like the original tree.

One of the best ways to learn how to sort out the mess is to at least watch the folks posting on the contest. Yet would very much recommend taking it, even though you might be swimming in unexplored waters. The lessons you learn will help set you up in your journey in bonsai.

Cheers
DSD sends