So I found a Mugo stump...

[sorce]

If what you say of the roots is true. I say it will live.

Is it still alive?

Sorce

 

[JoesBonsai]

Not to sound negative, but in this part of the woods my experience with removing Pines is you have to remove them with as much soil and roots as possible , as well as the right time of the season. I have never had luck with Pines being bare rooted.Good Luck

 

[twarawa]

Stump update

So there is some new growth on this tree/stump as of late which is encouraging enough to add an update I guess.

These are the steps I took to get it this far in case anyone is interested:

- The day after I found it I washed off the "roots" and cut off any large old roots. I took a handsaw and scarred up the root area and applied a generous amount of rooting hormone

- Next, I packed the root area with wet sphagnum moss and added more hormone

- I wrapped all that up with a black garbage bag and wound it tightly with electrical tape. I left no holes in this bag at all

- The stump was placed into that sweet blue bonsai pot and filled with DE (oil dry)

- The first couple of weeks it froze pretty good here. About -20 C for a few days and the stump sat outside under a blanket. Once it started to warm up I put it into midday sun for the period from about May to mid June. Now that I have a place for my trees it sits in morning and late afternoon sun.

- It was misted at least twice per day and now four times as my sprinklers are timed to mist it. Today I cut the top of the bag open so I could give it its first weak dose of fertilizer as I see some new green poking out in the last pic.

- Overall it has lost about 1/2 of the needles that it started with in March. They just turn brown and I eventually pull them off. I have been careful not to take any off with any green left on them. The bud sizes range from about 1/2" to 2-1/2" in length right now.

Not out of the woods but at least there is still some life left in it. Time will tell.

DSCN0041 by tylerwarawa, on Flickr

DSCN0042 by tylerwarawa, on Flickr

DSCN0043 by tylerwarawa, on Flickr

DSCN0044 by tylerwarawa, on Flickr

 

[bonsaiBlake]

Bad ass dude. I remember when this was posted and thought for sure it was a goner. Now just follow everything Vance says and I think you've got a killer looking tree in a few years.

 

[Vance Wood]

I am amazed and I certainly would not tell you this wont work, but I would be amazed if it did. Personally I love being amazed about what the Mugo is capable of. I would tell you not to do anything else to this tree for at least three years if it continues to grow. I am tempted to say the tree is running on saved assets and when they are used up the tree will be gone as well. I really hope I am wrong.

 

[twarawa]

Bad ass dude. I remember when this was posted and thought for sure it was a goner. Now just follow everything Vance says and I think you've got a killer looking tree in a few years.

I'm not too quick to call this a success yet. It's still in really rough shape. Just nice to see some new green. I think this is more like at least a decade long project. Most growth is about 30" from the trunk at the moment.

I am amazed and I certainly would not tell you this wont work, but I would be amazed if it did. Personally I love being amazed about what the Mugo is capable of. I would tell you not to do anything else to this tree for at least three years if it continues to grow. I am tempted to say the tree is running on saved assets and when they are used up the tree will be gone as well. I really hope I am wrong.

I am inclined to believe that that trunk have a lot of energy to use up too. I hope it can get enough new growth on it this year to give some energy back though. The only thing I will be doing to this tree for at least three years it to move it to protection for the winter if it makes it that long. That is fine though, I don't have nearly enough experience to do anything to it currently anyways.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

bump. . . Hows it doin?