Mugo pine(s) rescue

[MakeBelieveMatt]

I'm new to the world of bonsai so I figured the best way to learn is to practice and I figured the best way to practice is to pick up some cheap nursery stock and go to town. I live in Wilmington, Delaware and I was at my local Lowes two Saturdays ago and they had these dwarf Mugo pines on sale for $1 so I bought six of them knowing full well that half of them would probably die if they weren't technically dead already. I brought them home and did some bare minimum pruning, only cutting away anything that was so brittle and gone that it was nearly falling off. Two of them have come full circle. The other four...not so much. So my question is this. What should I do with these four ? If I cut them back to the base can I expect ANYTHING to come of them next year? Would removing the dead needles do anything? Should I immediately douse them with gasoline and sacrifice them to the fire gods? Bear in mind that all of them were in EXTREMELY rough shape when I bought them and, well, they were one dollar. Also, like I said, I fully expected to be tossing most, if not all of them, in the trash. I have over 80 houseplants that are absolutely thriving and probably 65 of them are big box retail rejects acquired over the past 25 years for $5 or less so I'm obviously a sucker for rescuing forlorn plants. I'm hoping I can salvage something, ANYTHING, out of these guys, even if only for the stories I might be able to tell.

Thanks in advance for any and all guidance!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

From right to left in the top photo: going, going, gone. Those which are still alive next spring could be pruned then.

 

[Traken]

Here's a great resource with a compilation of @Vance Wood's mugo information that he's shared, compiled by @Lazylightningny, that could be a really beneficial guide when it comes to working on mugos.

Tutorial - Compiled Vance Wood on Mugo Pines

Compiled Posts by Vance Wood on Mugo Pines UPDATED 5/20/2018 Vance, I have gathered posts you made on B-Nut over the years from the archives. I have consolidated this info below. I appreciate your sharing your years of experience with this...

www.bonsainut.com

While it may not be specifically helpful at the moment, it'd be a good reference in the future.

 

[gallina1594]

Mugos are one of the few pine species that are comfortable being pruned in the dead of summer. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but summer is a good time to do some big cuts on a mugo. Did it on mine last year with no signs of stress after, or side effects in the spring!

My only tip: if you remove all the needles from a branch, it will kill the branch. Keep the needles ontop, and hope to push buds closer to the ground next spring!

 

[gallina1594]

Oh, and don't do any pruning on any pine in the fall. Since they're growing all winter, they need the energy in the branches to survive

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Mugos are one of the few pine species that are comfortable being pruned in the dead of summer. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but summer is a good time to do some big cuts on a mugo. Did it on mine last year with no signs of stress after, or side effects in the spring!

My only tip: if you remove all the needles from a branch, it will kill the branch. Keep the needles ontop, and hope to push buds closer to the ground next spring!

The safest course of action here is to get these trees healthy first. It is never wise to work on unhealthy trees.

Oh, and don't do any pruning on any pine in the fall. Since they're growing all winter, they need the energy in the branches to survive

Incorrect. Fall is a great time for working on pines. Doing the right work, that is.
They don’t grow all winter either. They go dormant but still carry out some photosynthesis.

 

[Carl in Dover]

[Hello from Delaware! Not much help to your question, we also have an assortment of "rescues".