Teeny mugo progression

Cable · Aug 4, 2018

This is a pinus mugo teeny. I had originally planned to use it as an accent tree/plant but decided to work on it individually. I may have boogered myself as I repotted it recently and I read you're not supposed to touch a mugo for three years after doing that. Since this variety grows so slowly I'm planning to keep it shohin once it gets some thicker branches and I can repot again.

Japonicus · Aug 5, 2018

I like the after picture very much. Nice form.

Not understanding what you did post potting that you weren't supposed to do for 3 years.
There is a confusing branch just above, and bigger than the bottom whorl.
Is that the 1st main branch to be, and on the left side of the trunk then?
Looks like you found a nice one Cable!

0soyoung · Aug 5, 2018

Japonicus said:
I like the after picture very much. Nice form.

Not understanding what you did post potting that you weren't supposed to do for 3 years.
There is a confusing branch just above, and bigger than the bottom whorl.
Is that the 1st main branch to be, and on the left side of the trunk then?
Looks like you found a nice one Cable!

ditto

Cable · Aug 6, 2018

Japonicus said:
Not understanding what you did post potting that you weren't supposed to do for 3 years.

Vance seemed to say here that after a repot it needs to rest 3 years. Am I misunderstanding?

Vance Wood said:
Mugos will fool you. Sometimes when you cut back hard ( like here) and repot into a pond basket, bonsai pot, can of peaches (like here) they will just trudge along like nothing has happened. They will throw out buds and existing buds will burst and you will think Wow this tree is super I think I'll repot it again------then it dies. Been there done that. Of course you can always say you can't grow Mugos they don't grow where you live. After you have put a Mugo through this stuff in the beginning you have to leave it alone for one year to recover, one year (2) to establish in a new state, and one (3) to get into high gear before you go after it again; three years in total as a minimum.

Japonicus said:
There is a confusing branch just above, and bigger than the bottom whorl.
Is that the 1st main branch to be, and on the left side of the trunk then?
Looks like you found a nice one Cable!

I haven't really done anything with branch selection. I snipped a bit when I first started cleaning it up just so I could see inside then was just leaving everything. I have not decided what to do with it yet.

Nice thing is that this was a gift from a coworker who saw it neglected and unloved at a nursery and thought I'd give it a good home.

Japonicus · Aug 6, 2018

Cable said:
Vance seemed to say here that after a repot it needs to rest 3 years. Am I misunderstanding?

Nope, not misunderstanding Vance at all.
You just didn't divulge what you did

This thread anyway. Sorry if I missed it along the way elsewhere.
I'll trade you the one I got back in April for that one. It's now divided. Just sayin'...I like that one.

Japonicus · Aug 6, 2018

That right there. That's how you select a good mugo for bonsai

At least at that stage. ^5

Cable · Aug 6, 2018

Japonicus said:
Nope, not misunderstanding Vance at all.
You just didn't divulge what you did This thread anyway. Sorry if I missed it along the way elsewhere.

In the first post I said I repotted it. That’s what I was referring to. I put it into the basket intending to grow it bigger then changed my mind but too late I think.

What you say, @0soyoung?

Cable · Sep 28, 2020

My little mugo is chugging along nicely. I kinda like it this small so I think next year I might put it into it's first pot and then let it age.

Leo in N E Illinois · Sep 28, 2020

If it were mine, I would leave it where it is for at least 2 more years, next summer, do the cutting back that Vance Wood recommends to force more back budding, bring the new growth in even closer to the trunk. Leaving potted as is, will keep the growth more rapid. If you were to repot, growth will slow, development will slow.

At least that is where I would take this. Should you repot anyway, it will slow progress, but won't stop progress. It can still work out.

Not a bad start at all. It is coming along nicely.

Cable · Sep 28, 2020

Leo in N E Illinois said:
If it were mine, I would leave it where it is for at least 2 more years, next summer, do the cutting back that Vance Wood recommends to force more back budding, bring the new growth in even closer to the trunk. Leaving potted as is, will keep the growth more rapid. If you were to repot, growth will slow, development will slow.

At least that is where I would take this. Should you repot anyway, it will slow progress, but won't stop progress. It can still work out.

Not a bad start at all. It is coming along nicely.

That's an option, sure. Haven't decided yet! I do have to get rid of some of the thicker secondary branches at least.

casun · Sep 28, 2020

Wow that looks very, very healthy.

Cable · Sep 28, 2020

casun said:
Wow that looks very, very healthy.

Thanks, yeah, she's pretty happy. Last year didn't do a whole lot but really took off this year now that the roots are established. Which is an even better reason to do what @Leo in N E Illinois suggested. IDK about following @Vance Wood's recommendations, though. The hell does that guy know about mugos????

Cable · May 29, 2021

New growth has hardened off and I took the wire off today.

Cable · 2025-02-22T14:16:37-0800

Time for a pot for this guy. I intend to keep it small but honestly don't know enough about mugo to know how much root reduction they can take.

Here are some options (apparently I was absent mindedly turning the tree so some show the back instead of the front):

I know evergreens don't typically go into glazed pots but I kinda like the look of this one. Except that I'm 90% sure this is a Lotus factory pot and this little guy deserves the best.