All aboard the Mugo train!

[Strongbox18]

I would keep them isolated until you find out it's not contagious.

Kinda looks like the beginning of lichens now, but maybe that's it's deception.

It's got a high level of eeeewness.

Sorce

thanks sorce! i will definitly keep this one isolated for the mean time, im hoping its nothing too serious

 

[sorce]

thanks sorce! i will definitly keep this one isolated for the mean time, im hoping its nothing too serious

These pesticide folks may have advice, I'd be jamming needles in the hole!

Sorce

 

[Vance Wood]

Can't quite tell, but it seems there is chewing insect dust around, and the bark looks a bit chewed under.

Nice though. Real nice.

Sorce

 

[Japonicus]

We have a stole away aboard. First time here. I have a few mugos in my arsenal and will probably be aboard till the train stops because I’ve killed mugos in the past.... and I really do not want to kill these.

First one I’ll quiz you guys on, which has been posted before in a different thread

Ppl said I took too much off. I wrapped the roots all summer as instructed. Tree is doing ok but I have a cpl Q’s

I have some newer needles dying, not old needles which is why I’m concerned.
View attachment 267694


I try not to over water, although I’ve read mugos love water, then I’ve read their drought tolerant and prefer to be more dry. During the summer I just watered everyday with decent draining soil (probably needs a repot). But with this pot it’s hard to tell. It’s a smidge damp underneath the top layer of soil. is it dry at the bottom? How far do the roots go down? Who knows

View attachment 267695

If anybody aboard can give some opinions or advise.... I’d be nice!
Thanks

Before one would begin to answer a multitude of questions here, on both sides of the conversation,
is there more than one tree here in this post? Your post says there are, I'm not so sure.
You also mention one of them is in another thread, I don't understand the quiz because I think
I'm only seeing one of your mugos in this post, sorry.
Please link other thread now that the quiz is over. I'm just now seeing these posts from October

Judging by the soil in the last full sized pic, the akadama is breaking down. Appears to be a smear perhaps as a clue.
How is water passing through? When did you get it? I assume recently since you asked how deep the roots are
When did you prune it etc...
I only ask because the ROR is so intriguing and uncommon in this thread.

Only thinning and cleaning up should have occurred this year, prior to repotting, not pruning as much.
I do wish there were growth left on at the point just above where the trunk crosses the rock
and the curve threw off a branch.
It should with proper care still become a nice mugo. I like it...a lot!

 

[Vance Wood]

Before one would begin to answer a multitude of questions here, on both sides of the conversation,
is there more than one tree here in this post? Your post says there are, I'm not so sure.
You also mention one of them is in another thread, I don't understand the quiz because I think
I'm only seeing one of your mugos in this post, sorry.
Please link other thread now that the quiz is over. I'm just now seeing these posts from October

Judging by the soil in the last full sized pic, the akadama is breaking down. Appears to be a smear perhaps as a clue.
How is water passing through? When did you get it? I assume recently since you asked how deep the roots are
When did you prune it etc...
I only ask because the ROR is so intriguing and uncommon in this thread.

Only thinning and cleaning up should have occurred this year, prior to repotting, not pruning as much.
I do wish there were growth left on at the point just above where the trunk crosses the rock
and the curve threw off a branch.
It should with proper care still become a nice mugo. I like it...a lot!

My question is: How often do you water your Mugos? This is very important so be honest. Question two: Describe your soil mix and how often do you repot your tree?

 

[Japonicus]

My question is: How often do you water your Mugos? This is very important so be honest. Question two: Describe your soil mix and how often do you repot your tree?

Vance I water mine as needed, but typically 2x/day in the hottest months, typically daily in general Summer.
My mix is equal parts of lava, pumice, Monto clay and bark now,
but am shifting from akadama to Monto clay, so right now, there's some akadama in it.
I repot when the soil becomes difficult to water properly in good time.
I have a couple others that I've added a percentage of NAPA 8822 (fine DE) to the mix
but doubt I'll be keeping that in my mixes long term. I'm not impressed with it in my current pots.

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance I water mine as needed, but typically 2x/day in the hottest months, typically daily in general Summer.
My mix is equal parts of lava, pumice, Monto clay and bark now,
but am shifting from akadama to Monto clay, so right now, there's some akadama in it.
I repot when the soil becomes difficult to water properly in good time.
I have a couple others that I've added a percentage of NAPA 8822 (fine DE) to the mix
but doubt I'll be keeping that in my mixes long term. I'm not impressed with it in my current pots.

I don't dectect any mistakes yet. What season of the year do you do your root work?

 

[Japonicus]

I don't dectect any mistakes yet. What season of the year do you do your root work?

1st half of July but I think you’re misunderstanding my post to Daniel that you quoted,
or else we are role playing as an example. I was hoping he would link the mentioned thread.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Before one would begin to answer a multitude of questions here, on both sides of the conversation,
is there more than one tree here in this post? Your post says there are, I'm not so sure.
You also mention one of them is in another thread, I don't understand the quiz because I think
I'm only seeing one of your mugos in this post, sorry.
Please link other thread now that the quiz is over. I'm just now seeing these posts from October

Judging by the soil in the last full sized pic, the akadama is breaking down. Appears to be a smear perhaps as a clue.
How is water passing through? When did you get it? I assume recently since you asked how deep the roots are
When did you prune it etc...
I only ask because the ROR is so intriguing and uncommon in this thread.

Only thinning and cleaning up should have occurred this year, prior to repotting, not pruning as much.
I do wish there were growth left on at the point just above where the trunk crosses the rock
and the curve threw off a branch.
It should with proper care still become a nice mugo. I like it...a lot!

Hey thanks for the reply. I was inquiring about 1 mugo. I was trying to say I started a thread on this particular mugo when I first purchased it. Yes I received this last spring/early summer. The akadama is breaking down and water does not pass easily. I’m not a fan of pure akadama anyways and will most likely repot into sane pot in spring.

As of now, lil pine seems to be doing ok.

 

[Japonicus]

The akadama is breaking down and water does not pass easily.
As of now, lil pine seems to be doing ok.

This marriage would benefit from the dunk method for a few minutes
(air bubbles slow or stop rising) when watered except for frost expansion.

Glad it's doing ok, let's keep it that way and wait till Independence Day to repot.
Feed well in Spring and all the way up till just prior to repot.

...because I’ve killed mugos in the past....and I really do not want to kill these.

 

[Vance Wood]

Over the years I have discovered a few things that are citical to success with Mugos. When I first started with Miugo Pine many years ago people would disavow or discredit what I was doing with them as the machinations of a ignorant person who did not know shoe polish from dog doo. Part was that I water my trees (Mugos) more than anyone watered their Pines, two to three times a day was my practice, and the majority of the bonsai community held this is contempt. My trees prospered and everyone else who grew Mugos had trees that weren't. Everyone just said that the Mugo Pine made a lousy bonsai and no one cou;d grow one. No one noticed that I have kept a few of my masterpiece trees alive for nearly fifty years---that didn't count.

The next thing I discovered is that they did well/better if all major work done on them was done during the summer from late June to early October. I discovered this while doing demonstrations for clubs accross the country using my own material not wishing to kill someone elses trees. This too brought about the outcry of herisay from the bonsai community and to this day, has made taking or participating in a workshop uncomfortable, requiring a preface with the teacher that I would not confront them when my methods did not aligh with theirs.

Another thing I have found is that they perfer composted Pine bark mulch in their soil mx, bing another out cry from the bonsai community that claims that a bonsai mix should be IN ORGANKIC .After discovering that Mugos that grew in the mountians tended to grow in pine duff, the stuff that Pines naturally therw off like needles, old bark and some dirt that blew in over the yearl. Many of them grew in pockets that were made of this kind of material and prospered there. Many of these trees could be removed simply by pulling them out of these pockets. More to follow.

 

[Vance Wood]

Over the years I have discovered a few things that are citical to success with Mugos. When I first started with Miugo Pine many years ago people would disavow or discredit what I was doing with them as the machinations of a ignorant person who did not know shoe polish from dog doo. Part was that I water my trees (Mugos) more than anyone watered their Pines, two to three times a day was my practice, and the majority of the bonsai community held this is contempt. My trees prospered and everyone else who grew Mugos had trees that weren't. Everyone just said that the Mugo Pine made a lousy bonsai and no one cou;d grow one. No one noticed that I have kept a few of my masterpiece trees alive for nearly fifty years---that didn't count.

The next thing I discovered is that they did well/better if all major work done on them was done during the summer from late June to early October. I discovered this while doing demonstrations for clubs accross the country using my own material not wishing to kill someone elses trees. This too brought about the outcry of herisay from the bonsai community and to this day, has made taking or participating in a workshop uncomfortable, requiring a preface with the teacher that I would not confront them when my methods did not aligh with theirs.

Another thing I have found is that they perfer composted Pine bark mulch in their soil mx, bing another out cry from the bonsai community that claims that a bonsai mix should be IN ORGANKIC .After discovering that Mugos that grew in the mountians tended to grow in pine duff, the stuff that Pines naturally therw off like needles, old bark and some dirt that blew in over the yearl. Many of them grew in pockets that were made of this kind of material and prospered there. Many of these trees could be removed simply by pulling them out of these pockets. More to follow.

Here are the primary tips I have developed over the last twenty years: Mugos do best if repotted after the third week in June up till the second week in September. I live in Michigan and many claim this position on the planet is not particularly good if you are living below the parallel aligned with Detroit. You can do this any way you want but if you lose a tree it's not my fault.

Second: Mugos do better with a soil made of one third by volume Composted Pine Bark with the dust sifted out. A calcined clay product that will not break down and I use red lava gravel. It is most important that the soil retains it's structure and is not significantly changed over time. Mugos tend to get a root disease known as phytofatora (sp?) unless you desire to constantly wash with fungicides, the best option is to maintain a structured soil that drains quickly causing good circulation or a soil that breathes. A soil that breathes will not rot.

Third: A Mugo is a single flush Pine and must be treated as such. If you decandel in early spring like with JBP you will not get a second flush of growth. Decandeling after the first of July will produce the most back buds which will be small.

 

[August44]

Vance, what size mesh would you use to sift the composted bark? They bring in a big truck load of compost here in the spring but I have no idea what's in it.

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance, what size mesh would you use to sift the composted bark? They bring in a big truck load of compost here in the spring but I have no idea what's in it.

Pet screen works fine. It is a little more coarse than standard aluminum window screen and will pull out a lot of the really fine stuff though it really does not matter a whole lot.
The idea is to provide a medium for the benificial fungus to grow on and it is representitive to the natural environment the Mugo grows in.

 

[Ruben Bouwmeester]

I hope there is still some place left on the train. I saw this threat always passing by and never really read it. I got some small mugo's pumilio. They are for future rock planting.


Soo now it will read it.

 

[Daniel son STL]

View attachment 267692
Tree was pretty healthy. Looking back the canopy didn’t look bad,

I have some newer needles dying, not old needles which is why I’m concerned.
View attachment 267694

Another cpl months into winter and she is definitely doing worse!



I can really use some advise. Winter is almost over. It needs a repot I feel, but at the same time I’m not sure messing with the roots would be the best for it.

It appears to be in pure akadama. Let me know if anymore info is needed to help save this little tree!

Thanks!

 

[sorce]

@Daniel son STL I wouldn't worry about it, and of it's fungal as suspected, the bag will make it worse!

I've had winters where my moogburger looked shittier than that. So long as the buds aren't black you're all good!

No Repot!

Sorce

 

[Daniel son STL]

@Daniel son STL I wouldn't worry about it, and of it's fungal as suspected, the bag will make it worse!

I've had winters where my moogburger looked shittier than that. So long as the buds aren't black you're all good!

No Repot!

Sorce

Well my plan was to repot any way bc the akadama it’s in has broken down some not letting water pass very easy. You still think no repot beginning of spring?

 

[sorce]

Well my plan was to repot any way bc the akadama it’s in has broken down some not letting water pass very easy. You still think no repot beginning of spring?

I probly wouldn't.

I put a thing about this before......

When the problem is associated with the soil, or the pot, or the "roots" or roots area in general, people off jump to Repot, as if it is the only solution to the problem.

It is the "easiest", one time work, solution to the problem, but that cop out can cause death.

Aerating, hydrogen treatments, dunk watering, misting longer, extreme soji, mossing, unmossing, freshly mossing, different mossing, new location, less water, nematodes, mychorozza....

Just a few things that we also might have to consider doing, if we like the tree. I like that rOr.!

Be careful not to step into the "loving to death" arena. It seems you may be in that direction.

If you like, take a pic of all the buds, count em, we can go over it in more detail.

I'd be tempted, if there are more than x amount of buds, to pop one off and taste it. See how healthy it is.

Lemme show you something grosser than that!....

Sorce

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Well my plan was to repot any way bc the akadama it’s in has broken down some not letting water pass very easy. You still think no repot beginning of spring?

I had a year of EPIC aka fail.
Noticed as water was pooling rather than sinking.