My Box Store Mugo

[monza]

It was called a 'Big Tuna' Mugo, not much really going for it. I picked it because it did have a fatter base and looked healthy. So here is my chop and repot pictures:




-getting in there and chopping I noticed a ton of mini spiders, not like a spidemite. Blasted them off with water then sprayed with a insecticide.


-cutting the rootball I noticed ants had made it there home so a blasted them with water and cut my couple little pie sections out.


-drainage layer followed with my bonsai soil.


- So I'll post again in 15- 20 years when it 'might' be a bonsai. More of the lower branches obviously need to go, I have the ones picked out to go but thought I'd leave them until next year as I'm sure I've done enough damage for now.

 

[Vance Wood]

It was called a 'Big Tuna' Mugo, not much really going for it. I picked it because it did have a fatter base and looked healthy. So here is my chop and repot pictures:




-getting in there and chopping I noticed a ton of mini spiders, not like a spidemite. Blasted them off with water then sprayed with a insecticide.


-cutting the rootball I noticed ants had made it there home so a blasted them with water and cut my couple little pie sections out.


-drainage layer followed with my bonsai soil.


- So I'll post again in 15- 20 years when it 'might' be a bonsai. More of the lower branches obviously need to go, I have the ones picked out to go but thought I'd leave them until next year as I'm sure I've done enough damage for now.

Why do you believe 15 - 20 years for this tree? Suerly this amount of time will no doubt help it but if the kind of material you have started with and the initial treatment you have dealt out you should see some positive results in five years. Two to three years should provide some secondary and tertiary branching for you to play with. If that is done properly and artistically you should start having people notice this tree in five years.

 

[october]

Nice tree, I will send myself a reminder to come back around the 15 year mark.

Rob

 

[monza]

Why do you believe 15 - 20 years for this tree? Suerly this amount of time will no doubt help it but if the kind of material you have started with and the initial treatment you have dealt out you should see some positive results in five years. Two to three years should provide some secondary and tertiary branching for you to play with. If that is done properly and artistically you should start having people notice this tree in five years.

Little bit of sarcasm on the 15 -20 year comment but it was kind of based on the time you have into some of your trees. I'm just super happy you think I'll see results in five! I'm glad your good with the initial treatment, I was nervous. lol

 

[monza]

Nice tree, I will send myself a reminder to come back around the 15 year mark.

Rob

Thanks and I'll sent ya a email!

 

[monza]

An interesting observation and a lesson learned for me was how dry most of the soil mass was.
I'd been watering this tree in it's nursery pot for almost a month or so assuming it was getting plenty of water, it was dust bowl dry every where except the outer edge.

 

[Vance Wood]

An interesting observation and a lesson learned for me was how dry most of the soil mass was.
I'd been watering this tree in it's nursery pot for almost a month or so assuming it was getting plenty of water, it was dust bowl dry every where except the outer edge.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mugo Pines.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Nice work!. I am looking for a mugo for myself. Can you go a little more in depth about how you treated the rootball when repotting? I read Vance's advice to cut off that bottom 1/3 of the roots right out of the canister, then take two sections (totaling a third of the root mass only) to rinse out and change into bonsai soil. If this is correct I am wondering if I should try to work any new soil into the old nursery dirt with a chopstick. I see that the entire top of the soil looks like bonsai soil mix, so did you just cover up the old dirt?

 

[monza]

Pretty much as per Vance's technique and as you posted. I actually did three small pie sections instead of two, just worked out that way. I did blast the rootball with water as I was originally eradicating my ant colony, so that is not his suggested technique. Then your correct filled the pie cuts with bonsai soil and the old soil is covered with bonsai soil.

 

[KennedyMarx]

You mean you rinsed the soil out of the entire rootball and just cut away the pie slices? So just trying to get clarification while I research how they respond to treatment.

 

[monza]

You mean you rinsed the soil out of the entire rootball and just cut away the pie slices? So just trying to get clarification while I research how they respond to treatment.

I heavily washed (blasted with garden hose pressure) the bottom of the rootball to get rid if the ants and in that process everything got rinsed somewhat I did not really try to wash away all the soil. In the pie slices it came out rather easy with a rinse. It was my first Mugo try just to clarify that. I did try and untangle the roots some what where I made the pie cuts trying not to cut healthy looking roots.

 

[evmibo]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mugo Pines.

I have zero experience with mugo's, so what does this mean exactly?

 

[wireme]

Cool dave, it'll be fun to watch it develop I'm sure. I would like to try a mugo myself, I saw a really, really good one this spring in a nursery but when I convinced myself to go buy it it was gone. Maybe I'll go look again in the next few days.

Timing wise, you are going by Vances practices, did you follow dates or did you take the timing of our climate into account?
BTW, I sent you a pm a while back, did you get it?
mp

 

[monza]

I have zero experience with mugo's, so what does this mean exactly?

I believe he's just commenting on my observation being typical for a nursery can Mugo.

An interesting observation and a lesson learned for me was how dry most of the soil mass was.
I'd been watering this tree in it's nursery pot for almost a month or so assuming it was getting plenty of water, it was dust bowl dry every where except the outer edge.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Mugo Pines.

 

[monza]

Cool dave, it'll be fun to watch it develop I'm sure. I would like to try a mugo myself, I saw a really, really good one this spring in a nursery but when I convinced myself to go buy it it was gone. Maybe I'll go look again in the next few days.

Timing wise, you are going by Vances practices, did you follow dates or did you take the timing of our climate into account?
BTW, I sent you a pm a while back, did you get it?
mp

Thanks.
This one came from Canadian Tire ( thats a box store to us Canadians) This was the only one with promise, after finding this I drove to three more.... I'm trying to stick to Vance's practises and I think repotting at this time should also work for us? I actually did look and compare his climate and ours, not to much difference in climates besides our nastier winters.

Sorry I missed the PM, got it now. Thanks I'll call.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks.
This one came from Canadian Tire ( thats a box store to us Canadians) This was the only one with promise, after finding this I drove to three more.... I'm trying to stick to Vance's practises and I think repotting at this time should also work for us? I actually did look and compare his climate and ours, not to much difference in climates besides our nastier winters.

Sorry I missed the PM, got it now. Thanks I'll call.

I think the repotting now will work for you guys in the Great White North.

 

[evmibo]

I believe he's just commenting on my observation being typical for a nursery can Mugo.

Yes, I know, but why is this typical for mugos? Do they create a impenetrable rootball? Are mugos typically very thirsty? I'm wondering why it's typical for mugos to leave a "dust bowl dry" pot "everywhere except the outer edge"...

 

[Vance Wood]

Yes, I know, but why is this typical for mugos? Do they create a impenetrable rootball? Are mugos typically very thirsty? I'm wondering why it's typical for mugos to leave a "dust bowl dry" pot "everywhere except the outer edge"...

This is not typical of all Mugos except when they become root bound, which by the way is pretty typical of a lot of trees. However; with Mugos it is usually the old neglected and root bound trees that are worthy of the attention of the bonsai grower. Now; you can learn to deal with it or continue in what ever way you think is better. Let us know if you find one. Just remember that Yamadori grow in far worse conditions and for many cases present you with far more difficult conditions than one of these Mugos.

 

[marc206]

Where did you buy this cultivar?