Need some advice on my first pine

[cheesecakeFTW]

Hi!

I'm rather new to bonsai and I have recently aquired my first pine, a mugo to be specific.
He had a nice thick base as opposed to the others in the nursery and for 120SEK (~15$) I think it was a catch.
I'm thinking I will try to make this a shohin size bonsai since the trunk is very short and compact.


I have read alot about mugos on these forums and elsewhere but I still have some questions. I will outline my plan for the future based on my current knowledge but please correct me where I´m wrong so that I don´t kill this little tree!

The only thing I did when I got the tree about a month ago was to select two buds on each branch to keep and cut the rest off. The buds are now extending nicely:


I will water it whenever the soil gets dry which is pretty much every day on my south-facing, windy balcony and I will give it liquid fertilizer once a week during the growing season.

I am not sure wether to cut back this years new growth in the summer once the candles have extended or not? And if I do cut it back do I leave a few needles of new growth or cut it all the way back? I have read differing opinions about this.

In early august I will repot it in 80% pumice 20% pine bark. I will only cut the bottom third of the roots off and open up the rest a little without taking away to much of the soil.
At this point I can also prune off some of the branches (leaving a short stub) and wire the tree to make an initial styling? How many of the branches can I remove, this tree is wery overgrown:

Also, can I cut back the branches that I keep a little bit to shorten them, provided that I leave some needles on every branch I want to keep?

After this I will not work the tree for the entire next year, just cut back the new growth a bit to encourage backbudding.


Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[A. Gorilla]

>>I am not sure whether to cut back this years new growth in the summer once the candles have extended or not? And if I do cut it back do I leave a few needles of new growth or cut it all the way back? I have read differing opinions about this.

The very tip is what contains the hormone which suppresses back budding. So whether it's the whole candle or a few remaining needles might be kind of a moot point. It could depend on how much photosynthetic material you can spare or want to keep.

On other single flush pines, I have left two sets of needles (from the latest candle) and have indeed gotten the degree of back budding I wanted and expected.

Our resident mugo expert, @Vance Wood, if I'm not mistaken, just cuts the whole thing off.

I don't know if the difference is hair-splitting or meaningful for Mugo specifically.

>>Also, can I cut back the branches that I keep a little bit to shorten them, provided that I leave some needles on every branch I want to keep?

Probably want to time that for the Fall so you are not only leaving needles, but a definite bud which will grow the following spring.

 

[cheesecakeFTW]

>>I am not sure whether to cut back this years new growth in the summer once the candles have extended or not? And if I do cut it back do I leave a few needles of new growth or cut it all the way back? I have read differing opinions about this.

The very tip is what contains the hormone which suppresses back budding. So whether it's the whole candle or a few remaining needles might be kind of a moot point. It could depend on how much photosynthetic material you can spare or want to keep.

On other single flush pines, I have left two sets of needles (from the latest candle) and have indeed gotten the degree of back budding I wanted and expected.

Our resident mugo expert, @Vance Wood, if I'm not mistaken, just cuts the whole thing off.

I don't know if the difference is hair-splitting or meaningful for Mugo specifically.

>>Also, can I cut back the branches that I keep a little bit to shorten them, provided that I leave some needles on every branch I want to keep?

Probably want to time that for the Fall so you are not only leaving needles, but a definite bud which will grow the following spring.

Thank you for the great advice!

I think I will leave 2 pairs of needles of the new growth then. But is it really ok to cut back the new growth and repot and prune and wire the tree all in the same season?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

But is it really ok to cut back the new growth and repot and prune and wire the tree all in the same season?

From what I keep reading, no.
One insult per pine, per season. Cutting back heavily is 1, repot is 2, wire could be 3 (since mugo's grow in sectors, meaning the branches are fed by a specific patch of roots, so if you kill the wrong branch or wrong patch of roots, the entire side of the tree might die).
I went ahead and tried to be a rebel. I did a repot and wiring (and cutting a single main branch) in one go. Everything seems fine now, but as with every pine, the real issues might start occurring 4 months from now. That mugo was grafted (possibly on scots root stock) so it might not die back as much as ungrafted mugo's since scots root systems do feed the entire tree. I'll have to wait this out though.

I keep returning to a compilation of comments Vance made on mugo's.
It can be found here: https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/compiled-vance-wood-on-mugo-pines.23/

 

[cheesecakeFTW]

From what I keep reading, no.
One insult per pine, per season. Cutting back heavily is 1, repot is 2, wire could be 3 (since mugo's grow in sectors, meaning the branches are fed by a specific patch of roots, so if you kill the wrong branch or wrong patch of roots, the entire side of the tree might die).
I went ahead and tried to be a rebel. I did a repot and wiring (and cutting a single main branch) in one go. Everything seems fine now, but as with every pine, the real issues might start occurring 4 months from now. That mugo was grafted (possibly on scots root stock) so it might not die back as much as ungrafted mugo's since scots root systems do feed the entire tree. I'll have to wait this out though.

I keep returning to a compilation of comments Vance made on mugo's.
It can be found here: https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/compiled-vance-wood-on-mugo-pines.23/

Thanks for the advice!

I have read that compilation and some other information. Vance seems to think it´s ok to do everything in one season but it feels risky.

Also, regarding cutting back the new growth, Vance writes this: "Don't think about de-candling until you start getting some vigorous ramification. I have found that it takes roughly two growing seasons on a new tree before things develop enough that de-candling becomes an option. Let the tree grow freely, with only selective bud selection in the fall or early spring."

So maybe I should just let it grow this year, repot it and prune 50% of the branches. Then I can decandle and wire next year?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If I were you, then I'd wire first and do some decandling. That way you'll have your base shape set. Cut/prune and HBR-repot next year.
The wire will help you establish a shape to work with. If you do heavy cutting/pruning now without wiring, you might have forgotten your intended shape next year.
At least, that's how I look at it. Other people might think of it differently.

 

[cheesecakeFTW]

If I were you, then I'd wire first and do some decandling. That way you'll have your base shape set. Cut/prune and HBR-repot next year.
The wire will help you establish a shape to work with. If you do heavy cutting/pruning now without wiring, you might have forgotten your intended shape next year.
At least, that's how I look at it. Other people might think of it differently.

That makes sense but I think I have to cut away some branches if I am to wire the tree. Also, I think I will prioritize repotting since the soil it’s in is pretty bad and it is very rootbound. Maybe I will just do everything this year and hope for the best. What does HBR-repot mean?

 

[Scooter9166 - 5a]

HBR = Half-Bare Root

 

[Scooter9166 - 5a]

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/o...ots-pine-how-did-i-screw-up.32203/post-556471

This is a very detailed account of the HBR process.

 

[cheesecakeFTW]

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/o...ots-pine-how-did-i-screw-up.32203/post-556471

This is a very detailed account of the HBR process.

Thanks! Never heard of that method before. So is the idea that you bare root the other half at the next repotting?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Yes, thats what it comes down to.
Or of course, over the course of a few repots. There's no hurry. The goal is to gradually replace the old soil. It can take anywhere between 2-5 repots to achieve that with pines.