All aboard the Mugo train!

Michaelb

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Why hasn't vance made a mugo book yet? I am sure people want a book like this with his experience
 

Vance Wood

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I keep trying but one thing or another gets in the way and I find myself having to start over again after trying to convince my self that another book about bonsai would be welcomed. Maybe that's why I have not succeeded here; because I'm not doing what I am supposed to be doing.
 

sorce

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I think I've watched most of Vance's videos, I think he'd do pretty good at reading books aloud too.
There aren't many people with a calm voice like that. At least not that I know of.
I was thinking along those lines, like, it easier for these kids to splice video...eeeert, I didn't even think of how easy it would be to edit the audio.

Sorce
 

Paradox

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Here is the picture showing half of the second flush and the other half with the normal first flush shoots.

I know this post was over a month ago but you are not looking at 2 flushes here, you are looking at half of the tree that extended its candles as normal and the other half where they have stalled. The candles have not fully opened on the right side of the tree. Either that was the shaded part of the tree and they are just slow or that side is compromised some how.
 

Drewski

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After reading the compilation of Vances advice on Mugos a couple of times, I finally boarded the Mugo train. Got these two at local nurseries. The first one was an end of season clearance for $22 so I grabbed it. I had poked around and the trunk felt like it was a decent size so I picked it over a few others. The other one was more expensive, but I thought its trunk line showed some promise so it came home with me as well. Now I’ll patiently wait for summer to do some work on them.
 

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Vance Wood

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How should I be judging when to water my mugos during this weather? It gets into the 50’s and 60’s during the day with wind and sun but is dipping to the freezing point at night. Is it OK to keep watering like normal? All of my trees are in organic nursery soil, I’m guessing a pine bark of some sort, until I can repot at the beginning of summer. I am Leary about watering late in the day if it’s going to get to freezing overnight. What do you guys suggest?
You water when it starts to get dry, If the tree is still frozen odds are water is not going to penetrate.
 

Vance Wood

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@Vance Wood I'm not sure about the success and not doing part.....

But I do agree that writing that book is something you are supposed to be doing.

Sorce
What are you not sure about? You've seen my trees in person, you actually made me a pot for one of tthem.
 

Vance Wood

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I guess it's time for me to go through all my research and writings another time and try to pull something together. It is unfortunate that it is near impossible to do something with a Youtube format and not have another untrusted source have control over it, and then there is the monetary aspect of the thing. The frustrating aspect is the high level of dishonesty active in the bonsai community. I have been ripped off more times than I now care to remember.
 

Paradox

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I guess it's time for me to go through all my research and writings another time and try to pull something together. It is unfortunate that it is near impossible to do something with a Youtube format and not have another untrusted source have control over it, and then there is the monetary aspect of the thing. The frustrating aspect is the high level of dishonesty active in the bonsai community. I have been ripped off more times than I now care to remember.

I think you need to decide what you want your legacy in bonsai to be or whether you care enough or want to have a legacy.
Do you want the mugo pine to have a greater future in bonsai? I thought that was what all your years of promoting it was for?

If you truly want mugo pines to have a greater presence and future in bonsai in the United States and want to be remembered as the guy that did that, then write the damn book, put YOUR name on it and publish it.

If you're worried about "yet another bonsai book" don't, every new one that comes out gets bought.
There have been numerous beginner bonsai books published in the last few years and they all seem to sell well.
At least a mugo book would be something different that really hasnt been done before.
 
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Drewski

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So, couldn’t resist grabbing two more Pumilio Mugos at end of season prices. $22 each and they’re mine. Had them a couple of days and decided to clean the old needles and other crap out so I could get a look at the trunks and start thinking about what might happen next summer. Bit of a surprise with the second one, as you can see in the last picture. What seemed like a really fat trunk turned out to be a twin trunk buried deep enough that I didn’t spot it at the nursery. I know @Vance Wood says not to go rooting around for a nebari, but when it’s time to repot would it be alright to remove enough soil to expose more of the trunk. I’d like to see what’s below the split.
 

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sorce

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I know @Vance Wood says not to go rooting around for a nebari,
I always figured "cleaning the duff" was the same as "rooting around for a nebari".

I don't think digging from the top down to find surface roots is negative in any sense. Except for where it may kill a tree, but that one wouldn't have been good for bonsai anyway, if all the fine feeder roots were above the nebari.

#duffcleaner

Sorce
 

sorce

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Any chance his tree was half bare rooted?

Hiyaa! Hope not.

I have a mugo purchased this year that had a couple second go candles that look the same.

I believe those are all second go candles.

It's time stamp is correct for it.

Sorce
 

Vance Wood

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I have no clue as to what some of you are talking about. I have been growing Mugo since 1972, or if you like may very first Mugo was gifted me by my parents in 1960; thats 60 years. I have had and sold hundreds of them and kept a fair share for my own collection. I also killed my share In the beginning because I followed the standard care guide for two-needled Pines. This process, I found, was not correct for Mugo Pines because most Mugos treated by this method died, or seriously fell into decline. My point being that I seruiously doubt that there is a Mugo variety out there I have not encountered. I believe there is a Mugo posted on this site that actually is not a Mugo Pine where the claim is given for two or three occurances of multi-flush growth. I have seen an example of this "Mugo?" in a tree with one of the members of the club I belong to. It looks like the one posted here that has more resemblance to a Ponderosa Pine than a Mugo.
 

Japonicus

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but when it’s time to repot would it be alright to remove enough soil to expose more of the trunk. I’d like to see what’s below the split.
yes

Mugo aren't babies. I say that encouragingly. Pretty tough in cold climates.
Zone 8b...??? I'm not so sure. That's when they get kinda soft so to say.
Same for drastic root work out of season, but yes, no problem with your question.
 
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