All aboard the Mugo train!

[Soldano666]

Damned V.C.!
I didnt think they ate pine bark either.
Bastards!

They couldn't get to the bark under the wire. But unfortunately it was not enough of a life line to keep them alive. I had high hopes when candles extended and needles flushed. But alas when it was time to start setting buds they browned up...

 

[Cosmos]

After a few weeks off the train, I just bought another ticket, a pumilio.

Question: any advantage to starting the branch selection process now (removing let’s say 10-15%), as opposed to removing 30-40% all at once when repotting next summer?

 

[mattspinniken]

I thought I would post a before and after of a collected landscape Mugo that I posted many pages ago in this thread. Original photo a lot of the trunk was buried.

This tree will go in a pot next spring hopefully. It has a lot I want to work on correcting,
but I like how it’s going.

 

[sorce]

any advantage to starting the branch selection process now (removing let’s say 10-15%), as opposed to removing 30-40% all at once when repotting next summer?

You'll let more light in.

30-40% at repot is like a maximum "safe" number for a healthy tree.

There is nothing saying you must go that fast.
Design your tree thoughtfully and remain under that number.

S

 

[sorce]

This Cascading Joint is still making roots Today.
This pic is from a week ago or so.

And this a week prior.


It is being "overwatered".

S

 

[sorce]

Ever since I ass had that "All American Bonsai" display/thread....

I been, naturally, hell bent on creating a pot to win that award!


Choo Choo!

S

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@sorce - I love it bro. Nice

 

[LanceMac10]

I feel you have under-represented the humble hobo here.....a couple huddled around a Sterno can would be quaint.

fun!

 

[RickMartin]

Now that ive moved to missouri ive decided to try mugos again.

 

[RickMartin]

The last pic are the branches i want to use to start rebuilding this tree

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Choo choo!
I took the bait today at a nursery. Turned out it was a lure to find bonsai enthusiasts. Now I made a friend, and I was offered to dumpster-dive every time the nursery was throwing out old stocks.

3 euros. That's 1 euro per trunk.

And yes, that's almost the entire rootball. It fits in a tea cup. This bait has been laying there for over 5 years, the soil washing away with every watering. Awesome!

 

[Vance Wood]

Choo choo!
I took the bait today at a nursery. Turned out it was a lure to find bonsai enthusiasts. Now I made a friend, and I was offered to dumpster-dive every time the nursery was throwing out old stocks.
View attachment 219218
3 euros. That's 1 euro per trunk.

And yes, that's almost the entire rootball. It fits in a tea cup. This bait has been laying there for over 5 years, the soil washing away with every watering. Awesome!

I would love to see the entire tree. f

 

[Vance Wood]

After a few weeks off the train, I just bought another ticket, a pumilio.

Question: any advantage to starting the branch selection process now (removing let’s say 10-15%), as opposed to removing 30-40% all at once when repotting next summer?

It depends?? If you could post some photos of what you have, the likelihood of cogent replies would be expected. Sometimes it is best to let branches grow out to thicken the trunk sometimes it is better to remove them because of location, and sometimes it is best to give a tree a chance to develop until it gains strength and starts giving you ideas. So often I hear ideas being forwarded that make no sense other than arbitrary ideas to conform a tree to a shape the grower wants that it will not conform to. It is vital that you understand the size, shape and nature of the trunk and nebari. It all starts here, a good base being vital to the future of the tree.

You could start branch removal now as you described but be careful that you understand the direction you want the tree to go. It is difficult to give accurate advise with this information because the age of a branch determines what can be done and what will happen if you do what it is you want to do. In my cases so many of the trees I work on have been in some sort of training for ( in many cases) a lot of years and the branches are not new. I would cut them next summer, but some trees, especially recently acquired from the nursery, have really young branches that could be cut now to advantage. Without seeing them what you describe may not be the actual picture of what is really there. Mugos are funny, sometimes the Pumilio strain will put out new growth that is a foot long in one year but others will not do this. You can tell when you look at the new growth and discover how far apart the internodes actually are. If you don't know what you are looking for it is hard to describe it to someone. These long branches can be cut now.

 

[LeonardB]

I thought I would post a before and after of a collected landscape Mugo that I posted many pages ago in this thread. Original photo a lot of the trunk was buried.

This tree will go in a pot next spring hopefully. It has a lot I want to work on correcting,View attachment 212463View attachment 212464
but I like how it’s going.

Some of those others on your bench look impressive as well.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I would love to see the entire tree. f

I'll need to get into slab building now, because to me this tree is shouting "cascade".
There are a few back buds popping up. First things first: getting it back to health and into a bigger pot.

 

[Vance Wood]

View attachment 219224

I'll need to get into slab building now, because to me this tree is shouting "cascade".
There are a few back buds popping up. First things first: getting it back to health and into a bigger pot.

You are right the tree is weak and need revitalizing and a bigger pot would help for a couple, maybe three years. You wrote: I'll need to get into slab building now, because to me this tree is shouting "cascade". Personally I do not see or hear cascade. I understand that having all of these naked branches seems to suggest nothing but a cascade, but that is not necessarily so. As I mentioned previously look at the trunk; does that trunk seem to indicate a cascade tree?

What would I do? Get the tree into an environment where it can grow and get strong. In July the growth that has really pushed out hard can be cut back to where it started. Back buds will form and it is possible some of them will be on the bare wood of the branches. Allow these buds to develop and be careful of them they break off very easily so do not wire the tree. Next year these epicormic bud on the branches will break and grow. Leave them alone. Allow the new buds to develop above till July then cut them all back hard the same way you did it the previous year.
Leave the weak ones on the trunk alone for now. Fertilize the tree well and watch. Go find another tree so you are not tempted to fool around too much with this one. In the next growing season allow the strong shoots to develop on the ends as before then in July if the buds along the trunk are growing well, cut the vigorous shoots at a point above all the way back to the lower growing shoots you have been baby sitting. This will leave you with some stubs and and an abundance of new shoot on formally bare wood. At about this time you should start seeing the possibilities of a un-cascade tree. A word from experience. Most of these trees that are judged to be cascade candidates climax on the compost pile.

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

I finally got myself a ticket! Ill be out of town for the next 2 days but I'll try getting pics uploaded when i get back

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

You are right the tree is weak and need revitalizing and a bigger pot would help for a couple, maybe three years. You wrote: I'll need to get into slab building now, because to me this tree is shouting "cascade". Personally I do not see or hear cascade. I understand that having all of these naked branches seems to suggest nothing but a cascade, but that is not necessarily so. As I mentioned previously look at the trunk; does that trunk seem to indicate a cascade tree?

What would I do? Get the tree into an environment where it can grow and get strong. In July the growth that has really pushed out hard can be cut back to where it started. Back buds will form and it is possible some of them will be on the bare wood of the branches. Allow these buds to develop and be careful of them they break off very easily so do not wire the tree. Next year these epicormic bud on the branches will break and grow. Leave them alone. Allow the new buds to develop above till July then cut them all back hard the same way you did it the previous year.
Leave the weak ones on the trunk alone for now. Fertilize the tree well and watch. Go find another tree so you are not tempted to fool around too much with this one. In the next growing season allow the strong shoots to develop on the ends as before then in July if the buds along the trunk are growing well, cut the vigorous shoots at a point above all the way back to the lower growing shoots you have been baby sitting. This will leave you with some stubs and and an abundance of new shoot on formally bare wood. At about this time you should start seeing the possibilities of a un-cascade tree. A word from experience. Most of these trees that are judged to be cascade candidates climax on the compost pile.

Thanks for the words of wisdom Vance. It's in a giant pot right now.
There is a small army of back buds on, well my guesstimate is 4-6 year old wood. We'll see how it develops in spring.

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

a little late but here's the pictures.
I found a green stink big munching on the top of one of the candles. this thing is exploding with back buds. it will take many years but with that low branch im kind of thinking about a semi cascade with this guy

 

[Dorky_gearhead]

I thought I had pics of the branch structure. like many mugos, there are multiple branches coming from one point, but the burl isnt THAT big. I will probably incorporate the burl in the final design.