Advice on my only Mugo Pine

Inspired

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Hello everyone

Living in Australia, it is rare to find the type of old contorted pines growing in the wild like in Europe and US.

I acquired this pine a year ago and since then I have pruned off about 30%.

Upon removing the soil and moss at the base, i noticed that the trunk has rot and the roots were pot-bound. It seems the previous owner just slip potted into a larger pot.

Fast forward to today, the roots have rotted and i have begun removing some of the rot although i dont know how extensive it is further in. Also there has been die back of few branches.

In Australia, September is spring time and am unsure what I can and should do right now as the pine needs help.

- Is it safe to repot now?

- Do I need to remove all of the root rot in the root ball? I may not have much roots by the look of things if I keep digging in.

- diatomite 30%, zeolite 20%, pine nuggets 10%, river sand 10%, soil 30% Is my potting mix ok?

- Is there a potting mix or something that I can buy to assist the fungi that the pine needs?

- Needles are yellow at the tips?

- Bark is getting flaky?

Any other tips and suggestions or info that may assist my pine's health would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Inspired

Possible front with focus to be left side


You can see the root ring that was pot-bound. I have removed a fair amount of rot for now abut afraid to dig further and decided to put some soil back


Trunk rot and major root artery die back.


View from above. Another possible new front?
 
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Adair M

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Sorry, I can't give you any advice on your tree, I've never had any luck with Mugo.

I did want to say I hope you save it, I like the tree very much! It looks like yamadori!

I think you soil has too much organics in it. Usually pines do better in a more open mix with better drainage. Prevents the root rot you're experiencing.

Vance Wood is the one you need to hear from. He does quite well with Mugo.

Good luck with it, it's got great potential!
 

Inspired

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Why thanks Adair much appreciated and I hope I can save it too with the right guidance and care as it would be very disappointing to lose my only mugo as I have nothing like it.

As the pine has many leggy limbs at the base with no main trunk line, I have had to cut back a few plus I lost a few due to die back. Coming up with a front view was challenging and spent many hours all up trying different angles and options.

Slowly now a picture has emerged with 2 possible fronts at such a point that should I risk repot now or risk losing more branches as the tree weakens into the ground.

Yes the soil is just that.. soil.

Is my soil mix above sound ok? Do I have enough or the right medium for the fungi to thrive and assist the tree?

I have scanned several posts on the pine forum and why does it seem Mugo's are difficult to cultivate and grow successfully?
 
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