All aboard the Mugo train!

[RickMartin]

Second that answer..Mike beat me to it..

Rick

 

[Alain]

Here's a question for all of you. You get a tree to this point at this time what do expect to see happen over the next few weeks?

Basically nothing!

If I understood well everything I read from you I am expecting to see stuff happening next year: new buds everywhere, God willing!

At least it worked this year: a lot of buds did appear everywhere!

 

[RickMartin]

Buds should start forming now for next year

 

[sorce]

There has to be more to it than that!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

You get a tree to this point at this time what do expect to see happen over the next few weeks?

Nothing, it needs to recover. This late in the season here I would not expect new candles to bud until early Spring if it made Winter...

Grimmy

 

[Vance Wood]

Without a real defined direction for my tree yet....
This is exactly what I am trying to figure out, with attention to health, and not destroying what I believe to be my best trunk line.

I have roots coming out the bottom of my basket, and new needles slowly progressing, so I have reason to believe my repot was successful.

Somewhere around May, I pinched out some heavy terminal buds, which I thought caused that branch to bud back, but it turns out, it just accelerated that branches backbuds, as they all budded back shortly after that one.

I pinched a few more terminal buds a week or so after repot, and removed some branches, in an effort to further study.
A modified new growth removal by August, as It's just not there yet.

Anyway, I can feel it's joy and rejuvenation being in better soil and a colander...
From the looks of it....next spring may be the vigorous year I've been waiting for, to really be able to cut some stuff off, and get it fully moving in A direction.

I love MUGO and appreciate you so much Vance, because it is pretty much the only situation, where there is solid learned experience, by someone in a similar climate, growing a tree I can grow.

Sure I can Probly grow a JBP, or something else, but where can I find one that hasn't been pampered to the point of it growing a trees version of a vagina?
Oh, and that doesn't cost import $?

Thanks for that!

Some pics?

An unexciting full pic...after next year's possible DIRECTION, it may get exciting!View attachment 111317

One of the recently pinched terminals, sumbytch still wants to have more than 2!
View attachment 111318

This branch is growing below my knuckle, so I haven't removed any buds, Its dead straight, only a sacrifice.
This is the one I drew you a picture of.
View attachment 111319




Another unexciting pic, though crazy exciting to me...
My root tips!View attachment 111320

And finally...a very exciting pic!
You can see in the left where I recently cut the branch, to favor that new bud, and new to me today, a bud popping back closer to the base, where no needles have been for a year or 2. Right on!

View attachment 111322

Choo Choo!
Gettin some cash the Sorceress won't know about on Wednesday...

I will find another MUGO.....
Maybe a special one from The Hidden Gardens. Iffin my 8 depots don't produce!

Sorce

Buds to start forming for next year.

Buds to start forming for next year.

That is exactly right---- buds forming for next year. It is a simple thing but everything hinges on the one simple fact. Have your efforts generated next seasons growth?

 

[Vance Wood]

Basically nothing!

If I understood well everything I read from you I am expecting to see stuff happening next year: new buds everywhere, God willing!

At least it worked this year: a lot of buds did appear everywhere!

The new buds will start to form and appear about two weeks after the shoots have been cut. If you have fertilized your tree or the tree is healthy that will happen. If it is not happening fertilze further and in August there is one last attempt at making new buds for next year. You want those buds to form this year to gain strength. The growth you will get from next spring based on the buds forming in the spring can be weak and hard to deal with.

 

[VAFisher]

Vance I'm sure this is covered somewhere but what happens if it is already forming next year's buds before you cut back this year's growth? Will it form new buds this year?

 

[Vance Wood]

That's just the normal course of events everything will move in the Spring. No problem. What you are doing is making more of them, buds that is.

 

[just.wing.it]

Here's a question for all of you. You get a tree to this point at this time what do expect to see happen over the next few weeks?

All I did this year was chop off 2 major branches, followed by some upward and downward needle cutting several weeks later.
In the subsequent weeks, it has started pushing needle buds in several spots and I'm noticing next year's candle buds emerging.
I guess I'm in the clear, for now....

 

[Vance Wood]

Here is the theory. If you go to the hardware store and buy one of these multiple spigot venturi fawcets where you can hook up multiple hoses, you will notice quickly that with one hose attached the water flow will be pretty much as though the multi valved fawcet was not an issue.

However; if you hook up a second house you will notice that the individual flow out of each hose is less than it was with the one hose. Each additional running hose will diminish the endividual output of each hose even more. The reason is the addition of another hose puts an additional load on a fixed amount amount of water.

This is what you are doing when you mess around with bud development. Your tree, at the end of a year has essentially a fixed amount of energy allocated to new growth. If you are somehow able to force more buds to develop, doubling or tripling the amount of sources crying out for energy to grow, the new growth will have shotter needles and shorter inter nodes because the resources received were not enough to make the needles as long as the would normally be. Though you may have two to three times as many new shoots appearing in the Spring, each one individually had only half as much energy and resources to develop a seasons growth.

This is in some ways is hard on the tree so you should not do this more than three years in succession. The tree should rest one year in four before the process continues.

 

[RickMartin]

Looks like im getting off the train..came home to more brown needles..almost all brown needles..guess everyone was right..they wont grow down here.

Rick

 

[just.wing.it]

they wont grow down here.

Uh oh.....
Sorry to hear.

 

[RickMartin]

I really liked that tree. I think everyone was right. Just to hot for them here. 104 in the shade. Dont think they can handle that.

Rick

 

[Vance Wood]

I really liked that tree. I think everyone was right. Just to hot for them here. 104 in the shade. Dont think they can handle that.

Rick

How often did you water the tree?

 

[RickMartin]

Once a day unless the soil was starting to dry out one inch below the surface Then twice a day.

Rick

 

[Vance Wood]

Once a day and your temperatures are over 100*? If the tree is not drying out the soil is too heavy if the tree is not being watered at least twice a day you are not watering it enough. Mugos like a lot of water but don't like to be wet. With your temperature I would be watering at lest twice a day and probably three times. That kind of heat sucks the moister out of the tree and soil.

 

[GrimLore]

Once a day unless the soil was starting to dry out one inch below the surface Then twice a day.

Rick

Once a day and your temperatures are over 100*? If the tree is not drying out the soil is too heavy if the tree is not being watered at least twice a day you are not watering it enough. Mugos like a lot of water but don't like to be wet. With your temperature I would be watering at lest twice a day and probably three times. That kind of heat sucks the moister out of the tree and soil.

Vance is right on and honest based on the single one I have I see no reason you could not grow them there. The substrate on mine gets to the mid 90's F daily in full sun here. I water three times a day during the high heat and it is growing fine. Some needle tip browning but I am learning these are pretty rugged and will adjust as needed.

Grimmy

 

[Vance Wood]

One of the problems people have with Mugos is understanding that they respond differently from other Pines, which prefer to be kept on the dry side. Here is what I have figured out over the years. I don't think I have ever killed a Mugo because I gave it too much water, and that's a fact, as I think back on it now. I have always said they like to have the soil refreshed constantly by having the air flushed in and out.

 

[RickMartin]

I dont water on a schedule..i water on the individual trees needs. If the soil is damp a half inch down i feel i would be over watering rhe tree. I not doing this again until i decide if im even staying here. If i do stay here i wont ever have another mugo. I went to a bonsai nursery and told them i had a mugo. The dirst words out of his mouth was say goodbye it it around the end of july or early august..they just dont live down here. Again if i felt the tree needed watered i would have watered again.

Rick