All aboard the Mugo train!

Vance Wood · Sep 14, 2016

sorce said:
@Adair M that was a very kind gesture!

@Vance Wood you are a good man!
I am proud to be here to watch you still rising in your craft, getting where you belong. You deserve everything good that comes your way!

Sorce

WOW--! Thanks for the praise. Personally I don't think I deserve anything more than an awareness of hard work, and the hope, at some point, I don't disappoint you. I guess the positive issue I have come upon is this; as good as some of you see this tree I am still obsessed with how it can be improved. For those of you that see the faults in the tree, I see them too. I will not try to argue that the tree is the way I want it, and it is a finished work---it is the way I made it on its way to the way I see it in my mind's eye.

In deference to those of you that have argued the use of Yamadori and pre-bonsai you too are correct in that you don't need to work so hard getting a tree to the seeking art point. But once you get there you are often faced with having to grow the tree into its finished state. Sometimes in my experience I find you climb one fence and are happy with the results, and then notice there are more fences to climb over. In bonsai, unless you buy finished trees, the fences have no gates that you can simply walk through, you have to climb them, it is kind of the price that the art demands of you.

Vance Wood · Sep 14, 2016

petegreg said:
...quoting my post to pair before and after pictures. The tree is after initial styling, wiring, bending, two bare branches removed and the terminal buds reduced to two. Not so bad for 8€ I think.
View attachment 117025

I like what you have done with the material. I would consider putting some curves and waves in the branches and give them just a bit more movement. The base of the trunk appears to have a bit of reverse taper but in a couple of years I think it will disappear. If it does not we can do something about it. but let's wait.

petegreg · Sep 14, 2016

Vance Wood said:
I like what you have done with the material. You could consider putting some curves and waves in the branches and give them just a bit more movement. The base of the trunk appears to have a bit of reverse taper but in a couple of years I think it will disappear. If it does not we can do something about it. but let's wait.

Thank you Vance for having a look at it. I'm gonna look at it, the branches have some hz movement and some vertical as well. Probably not enough
when they look so flat... The goal of wiring was to open the interior. The branches will be pruned and reduced in the length in the process of development, but OK, gonna look what more can I do now.

Yes, there is some I think minor taper issue down low and there is still some moss on the trunk in that place that will not last long on my balcony. I think this will be OK.

Vance Wood · Sep 14, 2016

petegreg said:
Thank you Vance for having a look at it. I'm gonna look at it, the branches have some hz movement and some vertical as well. Probably not enough
when they look so flat... The goal of wiring was to open the interior. The branches will be pruned and reduced in the length in the process of development, but OK, gonna look what more can I do now.

Yes, there is some I think minor taper issue down low and there is still some moss on the trunk in that place that will not last long on my balcony. I think this will be OK.

Please understand that I did not mean to be critical. I have learned over time that often when you are designing a tree you don't really see what is going on, you sometimes see things as you would like them to be. That's why learning photo skills is so important to developing a tree---for me at any rate. The kind of things I briefly pointed out are the kind of things I/we tend to over-look and ignore till they become pit bulls wanting to bite you on the butt.

petegreg · Sep 14, 2016

Yeah, inspected it, removed the rest of moss. I'm showing what I've done to find someone critical

and helpful as you are.
This is all about the angle of sight. The bends and waves really were there, done sitting with my tree levelled eyes-the middle of the trunk. With the camera at soil level everything looks different. It's been adjusted. Thank you.

M. Frary · Sep 18, 2016

Make room for another passenger.
I picked this up yesterday looking for something for that contest. Broke down and drove the 90 miles. It was well worth it! They have mugo pines like I haven't seen before. They look like trees! I'll be going back for the end of the year sale and buy the rest. There are like 9 more.

sorce · Sep 18, 2016

M. Frary said:
Broke down and drove the 90 miles.

The Cuban Mugos.

Sorce

Soldano666 · Sep 18, 2016

I snagged me another one the other day too, with hopes of entering it in the contest. However once I started removing some branches, I realized for me to fully transformer it would require a lot more removal, so I decided not to tryn kill the tree this year by working too hard and left a bunch to be removed next summer.

just.wing.it · Sep 18, 2016

M. Frary said:
Make room for another passenger.
I picked this up yesterday looking for something for that contest. Broke down and drove the 90 miles. It was well worth it! They have mugo pines like I haven't seen before. They look like trees! I'll be going back for the end of the year sale and buy the rest. There are like 9 more.
View attachment 117362 View attachment 117363

That one looks like a good start!
How many did you look through before you found it?

M. Frary · Sep 18, 2016

Soldano666 said:
I snagged me another one the other day too, with hopes of entering it in the contest. However once I started removing some branches, I realized for me to fully transformer it would require a lot more removal, so I decided not to tryn kill the tree this year by working too hard and left a bunch to be removed next summer.

Yeah. Pines in general don't make for instant bonsai.

Soldano666 · Sep 18, 2016

I repotted and pruned this guy mid July and kept it in the green house out of direct sun and wind. I say repotted but it diddnt get much root pruning, but I was able to reduce some of it and get it in a smaller pot without removing too much soil... the needle tips are brown, they've been that way since mid August, It is out side in dappled sunlight now but the buds arnt doing much either, some are reddish brown which looks good but some are dark brown. Do I have a goner? Some of my other ones finnaly pushed some buds fashionably late but this guy is still not doing much, thoughts? And further aftercare I can provide?

Paradox · Sep 18, 2016

It doesnt look too happy right now IMO, the color of the first pic isnt great. I would not do anything else to this tree besides water when needed and give it some extra protection from freezing this winter but make sure it does get the right temp <40 for dormancy.

Soldano666 · Sep 18, 2016

Paradox said:
It doesnt look too happy right now IMO, the color of the first pic isnt great. I would not do anything else to this tree besides water when needed and give it some extra protection from freezing this winter but make sure it does get the right temp <40 for dormancy.

The color in the first pic is a little off. The needles all are still quite green as seen in the other photos, I'm more concerned that it hasn't pushed a bunch of buds for next year. and I have no shortage of good winter temps, but I might cold frame this guy and add some extra mulch around the pot and base.

Paradox · Sep 18, 2016

Soldano666 said:
The color in the first pic is a little off. The needles all are still quite green as seen in the other photos, I'm more concerned that it hasn't pushed a bunch of buds for next year. and I have no shortage of good winter temps, but I might cold frame this guy and add some extra mulch around the pot and base.

yes the other pics look ok except that you have alot of brown tips and some brown needles that dont look like they are old needles falling off.
My advice still stands, treat this tree carefully. I have one I repotted in July as well and like yours, the buds havent done much since but the tree is all green. The tree has already formed its new buds for next year, they just get a bit bigger before dormancy comes. You probably wont see any new buds yet, just the current buds that are at the ends of the branches. Watch those and hoepfully they will resume development into bigger buds for next year.

Vance Wood · Sep 18, 2016

Soldano666 said:
I repotted and pruned this guy mid July and kept it in the green house out of direct sun and wind. I say repotted but it diddnt get much root pruning, but I was able to reduce some of it and get it in a smaller pot without removing too much soil... the needle tips are brown, they've been that way since mid August, It is out side in dappled sunlight now but the buds arnt doing much either, some are reddish brown which looks good but some are dark brown. Do I have a goner? Some of my other ones finnaly pushed some buds fashionably late but this guy is still not doing much, thoughts? And further aftercare I can provide?View attachment 117395 View attachment 117397 View attachment 117398

Mugos do not do well in green houses. They need the elements to stimulate them. Your tree looks to be OK but stop babying it. As it is now it may do nothing for a year, just leave it alone and make sure it gets the exposure it needs an does not dry out totally.

Soldano666 · Sep 18, 2016

Vance Wood said:
Mugos do not do well in green houses. They need the elements to stimulate them. Your tree looks to be OK but stop babying it. As it is now it may do nothing for a year, just leave it alone and make sure it gets the exposure it needs an does not dry out totally.

Explains why the other one I repotted at the same time is doing the same budwise but without the brown tips. They were only in there for the 4 weeks after the work was done then back into full sun expect this one I put in dappled shade later because or the browning tips. The other one looks healthy as if nothing hit it and roots poring out the colander.

Camile Lima · Sep 19, 2016

Ok, so here's mine that I recently got shipped to me. It arrived pretty and green, but slowly it's losing its color, as you can see, and it seems to be kind of drying. So should I water it more, or water it less?...should I mist it daily or every other day? I would love some good advice. Thank you

Camile Lima · Sep 19, 2016

Here's a little close up :-(

sorce · Sep 19, 2016

I would guess water it more...

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

RickMartin · Sep 19, 2016

Please tell me this is not kept inside. The reason I posted is because it looks like there is a humidity tray under the pot.

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