Pinching Vance Wood: the challenge

[Adair M]

Mugs are native to Northern Europe and the mountains of Europe. They like cold weather. They don't do well in warm climates. Since a lot of folks who do bonsai live in warm climates, they say mugo don't do well as bonsai.

It all depends upon your climate.

 

[Smoke]

Who are these people? All my bonsai books from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s list mugo among the four or five best pinus species for bonsai. I am sure a lot of people don't like them, because most of them aren't as nice as the best examples from other species, and because it takes a very long time to make one look decent, but there have been good mugo pines being offered up as bonsai for as long as I can remember.

I have never seen one at a show in California for 32 years. I know I don't go to them all nor do I get to San Diego area much, but still I know of no fine examples.

 

[qwade]

Mugs are native to Northern Europe and the mountains of Europe. They like cold weather. They don't do well in warm climates. Since a lot of folks who do bonsai live in warm climates, they say mugo don't do well as bonsai.

It all depends upon your climate.

Not to contradict, However Mugo is a common landscape plant and thrives in Zones 6-7 probably to 8, all which have hot summers.

 

[Adair M]

Well, it's sold as a landscape plant. But I never see any.

 

[fredtruck]

There are a lot of mugos here in West Des Moines, zone 5.

 

[0soyoung]

Not to contradict, However Mugo is a common landscape plant and thrives in Zones 6-7 probably to 8, all which have hot summers.

They thrive in ID zone 5 as well as the zone 8 where I currently am. I think the hours above 90F (where metabolic consumption exceeds the photosynthetic input) may be the key. This number of hours is higher in zones 7 & 8 in the SE states where mugos don't fare well.

 

[M. Frary]

First picture: Vance Woods' shimpaku today in his club show. Pinched.
Second picture: Mike Frary's shimpaku today at same place and time.
Third picture: Both trees with foliage almost touching.
Both trees are Kishu shimpaku,roughly the same size and age.
Fourth picture: What happened to the Frary shimpaku 10 minutes after picture 3 was shot. Just a light trim.

 

[wireme]

In the pic you show i see some runners. Those come off. You let the others alone and they will form runners eventually if they get light. The more you pinch them the more imbalance you will have. Your tree is far from ready to be pinched like Vance does on his nice refined tree.

Yes, don't worry, since the day I collected the tree in I think 2011 its had a total of 4 single tips pinched, its been through 1 cycle of growth and cut back and just in the next growth cycle.

 

[Dav4]

Not to contradict, However Mugo is a common landscape plant and thrives in Zones 6-7 probably to 8, all which have hot summers.

Mugos do not do well in zone 7 or higher in the SE...I've never seen one in the greater Atlanta area (zone 7) that looked like it was thriving. Most mugos landscape trees are dead within 3 to 4 years

 

[M. Frary]

Your turn.

Tag! You're it!

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Where is the show at guys? You guys hang out together?- for real? I am so jealous.

 

[Txhorticulture]

OK I'm jumping in on this only to make a botanical and somewhat pedantic point. Those little brown things are not FLOWERS they are pollen cones. Conifers are gymnosperms they are not flowering plants. Flowering plants are angiosperms. Lol. Now continue your discussion

 

[Txhorticulture]

Not to contradict, However Mugo is a common landscape plant and thrives in Zones 6-7 probably to 8, all which have hot summers.

Oops one more point not all zone 8 has hot summers USDA zone is only a measure of avg. Annual low temp. Austin Texas and Seattle Washington are same USDA zone. They have very very different summers. Lots of the UK is zone 8 or 9. They don't have hot summers. USDA zone is not a good climate description, almost worthless

 

[Smoke]

Well, it's sold as a landscape plant. But I never see any.

I see lots in the nurseries around here, just no bonsai.

 

[Smoke]

OK I'm jumping in on this only to make a botanical and somewhat pedantic point. Those little brown things are not FLOWERS they are pollen cones. Conifers are gymnosperms they are not flowering plants. Flowering plants are angiosperms. Lol. Now continue your discussion

I guess my junipers never heard of this no flowering thing cause they do every year....

 

[Txhorticulture]

guess my junipers never heard of this no flowering thing cause they do every year....

Hey I said it was pedantic... lol. Technically your junipers don't flower every year. Even the males are just 'coning'.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looks like you guys have some spider mites in MI. Also looks like they're wanting more sun and less water.

 

[M. Frary]

That's all you've got?
No comments about the foliage difference?
There are no mites and they get sun all day long. Tsk.Tsk.
Later,I'll take those pictures of Vance pinching the one. That way you can see exactly what we're doing.

 

[M. Frary]

Where is the show at guys? You guys hang out together?- for real? I am so jealous.

It's in Rochester Michigan.
Yeah,we hang out together. I even became a member of his bonsai club.
Don't be too jealous, just a couple of guys sitting at a big table working on a bunch of trees.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

That's all you've got?
No comments about the foliage difference?
There are no mites and they get sun all day long. Tsk.Tsk.
Later,I'll take those pictures of Vance pinching the one. That way you can see exactly what we're doing.

What were you trying to show? The foliage on yours looks about the same as Vance's, except yours is leggier; usually caused by lack of light or too much water. No grip & rip pinching here; see all the bright green tips:


And maybe it's the lighting, but the comparatively pale foliage indicates mites, too much water, or too little light: