ID and Styling Help

[Jason200282]

Hi all

I had a great local find on FB for a long term project, that I planted in the grow bag its now in.

I thinks it's possibly a Scots Pine but a confident ID would be great.

I have started to open the tree up but want it to grow on. So I am contemplating what to do with the multiple of low branches / trunks at the base. I have started to try and guide/ lift them with guide wire for now.

Peoples thoughts on styling for the future are most welcome.

Thank you.

 

[penumbra]

Was it sold to you as a Scots pine?

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

I think the needles are a little small for a Scots pine.
How was it advertised in the FB add?
Ask the seller for the ID.

 

[penumbra]

It looks like a compact or dwarf variety of pine but I don't see a graft.
I think it could be Pinus heldreichii

 

[Jason200282]

Hi all it was sold as a shrub. Lol

So the seller wouldn't be any good to try ID.

 

[penumbra]

Get some more close ups of bark, buds and bundles. There are a few people here that are very good at ID ing pines. I'm not one of them.

 

[Jason200282]

OK great,

Here they are

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

I think it is a Mugo pine.

Info: https://conifersociety.org/conifers/pinus-mugo-white-bud/

Pinus mugo 'White Bud' / White Bud mugo pine​

Dwarf, dense, compact, dark green needles, winter buds have a white ressinous covering making them appear white.

 

[Jason200282]

That seems to be it, thank you its pretty much around its maximum height at 4ft not including the pot.

 

[Japonicus]

I have started to open the tree up

Next time open it up from the outside in, keeping interior growth.

what to do with the multiple of low branches / trunks at the base.

You’ll have to decide which has the best trunk with the most close in interior growth.
Then remove in Summer, the conflicting, crossing remaining trunks and branches.

Mugo can back bud, but most Mugo have a multitude of whorls which I don’t see with this pine,
however I am not familiar with the White Bud mentioned above 1st handedly, but only reaching 5’
at maturity with that cultivar, I would expect to see significant fissured bark not evident on this pine
at the height it is. The trunk and low branches are still pretty smooth.

 

[Jason200282]

Thank you,

Its was pretty cramped in there. I was conscious due to there being little taper to not remove any newer growth, buds and little branches. Aiming to grow them out to give me taper and short internodes.

I was thinking I would wire this with heavy gauge wire and try compact it to give better angles for the newer growth.

My thoughts so far are to take out these orange trunks maybe jim the middle one. Clearing a direct veiw back to the main and thickest trunk, leaving the one on the far right possibly.

You are right about the whirls.not any on the lower.side but there are on top. I have already cut some out.

 

[penumbra]

I think it is a Mugo pine.

Info: https://conifersociety.org/conifers/pinus-mugo-white-bud/

Pinus mugo 'White Bud' / White Bud mugo pine​

Dwarf, dense, compact, dark green needles, winter buds have a white ressinous covering making them appear white.

I.m pretty sure its not, but I could be wrong. Shape is all wrong.

 

[Jason200282]

It's never been trained just potted in the green plactic pot in the photo, so I suppose that's the natural growth. It also had roots in the ground under the pot, that had to be cut.

It does have a fairly upright growth pattern to the main trunk on the tree. The base trunk though all go outwards.

The needles and buds look very similar and the close dense growth before I plucked the needles and cut some branches.

 

[Potawatomi13]

So far seems you made several beginner mistakes raising question of trees survival. Why not ask questions before doing all stated work above? When was it repotted? Bare root or not? How much root removed? Most critical questions for now.

 

[Jason200282]

Hi,

It needed to be repotted and as I am in the uk I understand it to be the right time to be repotted.

The soil was pure organic soil with polysytrene in it and not draining, despite the pot being damaged due to age and root growth.

The roots had grown through the pot into the ground, large tap roots it appeared. These were the only roots cut off. No other roots had been cut.

The soil was removed at the base of the roots to remove all the polystyrene and at the top of the soil to find the root spread. Approximately 40%.of the soil

Repotted in to a 35ltr grow bag that will be placed in the front garden to grow on for several years.

 

[Jason200282]

Here is a picture of the soil removed.

 

[Potawatomi13]

I understand it to be the right time to be repotted.

Early Winter seems not normal time anywhere but tropics. Normally done just before beginning of Spring growth. Root removal seems about normal considering trees growing conditions. Maybe tree can survive.

 

[Jason200282]

Oh thanks given the state of everything, my thoughts were the tree would be in dormancy, thus a suitable time to do the repot. Not to stress the tree twice with the move, then a couple of weeks later with a repot. Making it the safest option for the tree, with rescuing the excess foliage not to put too much stress on the roots and let light into the tree and new growth.

Would the opinion be that it would of been better to try and wait it out for a month or two to repot?

 

[penumbra]

It's never been trained just potted in the green plactic pot in the photo, so I suppose that's the natural growth

Which is why It is almost certainly not a Mugo pine. I still think it is a Bosnian pine and I am surprised one of our pine experts hasn't jumped in.

As to timing of the work, we all have our ideas and our reasons but does anybody really Know? It seems there are people who transplant pines all times of the year. I do nearly all my re-potting of temperate zoned plants in late winter to early spring but there are always exceptions.

 

[Jason200282]

Which is why It is almost certainly not a Mugo pine. I still think it is a Bosnian pine and I am surprised one of our pine experts hasn't jumped in.

As to timing of the work, we all have our ideas and our reasons but does anybody really Know? It seems there are people who transplant pines all times of the year. I do nearly all my re-potting of temperate zoned plants in late winter to early spring but there are always exceptions.

It does look like the Bosnian from images I just looked up and the description of the cones prior to and after maturity looks accurate, from looking at the tree. If so this is a very big species.