Mugo progression

Fishtank307

Shohin
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I took my mugo pine to my first workshop last saturday.
Before:
PA015602.JPG

After:
PA155674.JPG
We decided to remove the left branch/trunk and make a deadwood feature out of it. (At the top it twists back and forth, not really visible here...) There are two branches in front of it that will be bend more towards the jin. The idea is to from pads where the jin breaks through the top.
The tree will be planted at an angle, so that it leans more to the left. The lowest branch on the right will be bend downward, towards the viewer. That way the first pad will be framed by the trunk.

PA155675.JPG Foliage needs to be compacted and closer to the trunk.

PA155676.JPG

At first I didn't know it was grafted. The trunk was also a lot longer than I expected. I thought we could create a very compact, bulky tree, so I was kinda disappointed to discover the rest of the trunk underneath the soil... It's not what I had in mind, but luckily there was another option for its styling. it kinda reminds me of the way Scots pines grow here, in open fields.
The base flares out, so that's a plus.

PA155678.JPG

We're also going to make some pads under the straight trunkline at the top. Feedback and tips are very much appreciated!
 

Paradox

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It's a good start.

Yea, you have to dig around in the pot to try and find the roots when you buy.

Very often the nurseries pot up trees by just pulling them from the old pot, plopping in the new pot and dumping soil in without regard to where the root base is.

I had this happen to me with the first scots pine I bought. I was pretty disappointed to find a much taller trunk than I had invisioned. However, now it's actually a good thing for the design.
 

Fishtank307

Shohin
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It's a good start.

Yea, you have to dig around in the pot to try and find the roots when you buy.

Very often the nurseries pot up trees by just pulling them from the old pot, plopping in the new pot and dumping soil in without regard to where the root base is.

I had this happen to me with the first scots pine I bought. I was pretty disappointed to find a much taller trunk than I had invisioned. However, now it's actually a good thing for the design.

That's true! The guy I bought it from owns a nursery and I'm taking lessons with him. He told me I could choose a different one if the base/roots/trunk wasn't good. But since it still had potential, I decided to keep it :)
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Nice start. Love to see it after being wired


Grafted mugo??
Interesting....
Never seen one grafted over here...
That trunk looks very non-mugo-esque...

Nevertheless, good start, I likey!

In the USA, before the 1980s, all named mugo cultivars were grafted, just as with JWP. Then a commercial wholesaler funded university research to develop both a method to root cuttings, and to screen dozens of mugo cultivars to find specific clones that would root from cuttings. 'Valley Cushion' was the first one produced in large quantity to be available, but there are now a dozen or more cultivars that are produced by cuttings. There are still quite a number of named mugo cultivars that do not root from cuttings. These are still produced by grafting. So it is no surprise to me that one would find a mugo that was grafted. If the growth rate of the understock is well matched to the scion, this is not a problem, as in time grafts will become nearly invisible.

The process of rooting cuttings of mugo is somewhat complicated, you will need bottom heated rooting bed with an intermittent misting system and fairly good temperature control. Just sticking a branch in dirt won't do it.

Google, and you will eventually find the papers outlining the research. I don't have copies anymore.
 

Fishtank307

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grafted? maybe being underground changed the bark?

The tree was planted deeper in a new pot for one growing season, so I don't think being underground changed the bark... And as @Leo in N E Illinois explained, grafted mugos apparently exist! The line of the graft is super straight as well. It matches well, so it shouldn't be a 'problem' in the future, I think. Only a slight difference in color and flakiness.
 

just.wing.it

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Nice start. Love to see it after being wired




In the USA, before the 1980s, all named mugo cultivars were grafted, just as with JWP. Then a commercial wholesaler funded university research to develop both a method to root cuttings, and to screen dozens of mugo cultivars to find specific clones that would root from cuttings. 'Valley Cushion' was the first one produced in large quantity to be available, but there are now a dozen or more cultivars that are produced by cuttings. There are still quite a number of named mugo cultivars that do not root from cuttings. These are still produced by grafting. So it is no surprise to me that one would find a mugo that was grafted. If the growth rate of the understock is well matched to the scion, this is not a problem, as in time grafts will become nearly invisible.

The process of rooting cuttings of mugo is somewhat complicated, you will need bottom heated rooting bed with an intermittent misting system and fairly good temperature control. Just sticking a branch in dirt won't do it.

Google, and you will eventually find the papers outlining the research. I don't have copies anymore.
Thanks Leo!
Great info!
 

Wilson

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Looks like a great start! I hear ya on trying to find the time for hobbies, I could go for a few more hours added to the day. Your tree looks a lot like two of my dwarf scots, super small needles.
 

just.wing.it

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Looks like a great start! I hear ya on trying to find the time for hobbies, I could go for a few more hours added to the day. Your tree looks a lot like two of my dwarf scots, super small needles.
Few more hours, yeah...
I need a few more Saturdays every week.
 

just.wing.it

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Try retiring, then every day is Saturday.

Unemployment is similar, but with a lot less money.
Hahaha!
I hope I'll be able to retire some day...not counting on it though...
I've been paying into Social Security since age 14, but I don't expect to see a penny of that later on....by the time I'm of "retirement age" Social Security will most likely be a thing of the past...
I'll probably just turn wrenches until my skeleton turns to dust....they'll find my corpse in a mechanical room in DC.
 

Fishtank307

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Wiring half done:

PA225701.JPG
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Hoping for a wider base after repotting it in two years. The tree slants to the left, but the larger roots are on the right side atm..
PA225707.JPG

We slip-potted the tree in a new container, in a mix of the old soil and some pumice. This is how it was potted up before: (flat root-base, lucky me!)
Naamloos.png

The branches are leggy, so the next step (after wiring the top of course) is to promote backbudding and form denser pads.

What do you think?
 

Vance Wood

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The first thing you have to do is decide which of the two branches at the top is going to be the leader and will it go to the right or to the left. This is kind of critical because what you do here will determine what you have to do with the rest of the branches.
 

Fishtank307

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The first thing you have to do is decide which of the two branches at the top is going to be the leader and will it go to the right or to the left. This is kind of critical because what you do here will determine what you have to do with the rest of the branches.

Which two branches do you mean? The wired one and the 'previous' leader?
WP_20171023_16_49_20_Pro.jpg
 

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