Mugo pine advice

[georgem59]

Hi everyone, I've just joined the forum today and this is my first post so go easy on me . I'm a newbie as far as bonsai is concerned and I have a lot to learn.
I received my first bonsai, a Sagaretia theezans as a birthday gift from my mother in law in September 2020. I managed to keep it alive for 4 months before its sad demise. Since then I've picked up a couple of Chinese Elms and a few shrubs to practice with and have been pleased with how they are thriving and growing.
My wife bought me a Mugo pine "Allgau" from a local garden centre. I have repotted it. I only trimmed the roots slightly while doing this. When I removed the compost from the surface it exposed another 2" of trunk before any roots were visible. Its around 16" tall incl. pot.
Its my first pine and I am looking for advice please.....any ideas/tips are welcome on how to style it. When would you advise me do any wiring of the branches, or should I leave it until next season?
Thanks in advance.

 

[A. Gorilla]

Leave it alone til next summer.

You have very nice needles already and lots of options.

If you were truly conservative with root management, you should be in good shape.

 

[georgem59]

Leave it alone til next summer.

You have very nice needles already and lots of options.

If you were truly conservative with root management, you should be in good shape.

Thanks! Yes, I trimmed very little of the roots to get it in the bonsai pot due to it having been buried quite deep in the nursery pot, and I also don't see any visible graft.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Potawatomi13]

Expansion in lower trunk may be graft. Consider wise advice to leave alone at least until 2022 for any work. Also if wanting any bigger trunk consider growing in bigger grow container or ground several years

 

[georgem59]

Expansion in lower trunk may be graft. Consider wise advice to leave alone at least until 2022 for any work. Also if wanting any bigger trunk consider growing in bigger grow container or ground several years

Thanks! If it is a graft it has been done well. I will now leave it alone until next year as advised and put it in a bigger grow container then, seeing that I've only just put it in this pot recently. When I do that do you recommend that I wait another season before making any decisions about any other work on it?

 

[Paradox]

Thanks! If it is a graft it has been done well. I will now leave it alone until next year as advised and put it in a bigger grow container then, seeing that I've only just put it in this pot recently. When I do that do you recommend that I wait another season before making any decisions about any other work on it?

Yes.
The general guidance is one insult per year.
Repotting is a major insult that you need to allow the tree, particularly a pine to recover from

 

[georgem59]

Yes.
The general guidance is one insult per year.
Repotting is a major insult that you need to allow the tree, particularly a pine to recover from

Ok , thanks for the info Do you think a bigger, deeper bonsai pot would suffice (not stupedly big, but within reason) or, are we talking about the likes of a pond basket or fabric pot kinda thing?

 

[Paradox]

Ok , thanks for the info Do you think a bigger, deeper bonsai pot would suffice (not stupedly big, but within reason) or, are we talking about the likes of a pond basket or fabric pot kinda thing?

A pond basket would probably work fine but I would not go bigger than the pot it's in. Try for a little bit smaller (don't go too small) if you can or at most equal volumes. I try to get a wider pot for a training pot if I can because we want to start to promote lateral root growth rather than deep roots.

The idea is to start the tree into a wider training pot to start its journey to a bonsai both in term of its roots eventually fitting into a bonsai pot and to start to make decisions for its branches and growth.

 

[georgem59]

A pond basket would probably work fine but I would not go bigger than the pot it's in. Try for a little bit smaller (don't go too small) if you can or at most equal volumes. I try to get a wider pot for a training pot if I can because we want to start to promote lateral root growth rather than deep roots.

The idea is to start the tree into a wider training pot to start its journey to a bonsai both in term of its roots eventually fitting into a bonsai pot and to start to make decisions for its branches and growth.

Thanks for the explanation, its appreciated. Meantime, I'll have a look about for something suitable for when the time comes.