I have found a good place to start is to clean out the center first. Get rid of any dead needles or branches. These small mugos can hold a surprising about of crap that has built up. Then start reducing branching to pairs at each fork. From there you can start to get a better idea of where to go forward.
Mugos are a tree that you some times need to live with for a couple of years before you see a path forward.
It totally depends if the "center clean out" goes on for "a Couple years"....
Which isn't clear...
As it reads to a Newb...
He will be cutting back branches to forks this year, after just cleaning out dead stuff from the middle.
"Cutting back branches to EACH fork" sounds like ALL of them.
Before the Line is defined....
Cutting all the branches will only force more interior growth, where, depending on how this is read..will only lead to a bigger clustereff where we are trying to find that line.
Too....for me..."branches cut to forks" is a refinement technique...
At This point...the Only branches that should be cut back to forks are those coming off the still undetermined trunkline, at correct spots and of appropriate size to remain in proportion with the finished tree while growing certain parts....and reducing the knuckle.
This is absolutely impossible...
Not just because of the still undetermined trunkline...
But also because
@Cosmos hasn't grown this tree enough to know what branches will stay in proportion with the tree as other parts are grown for future trunkline, and removed to lessen the knuckle.
Further...@cosmos, and probly 70% of people here, surely do not even understand this ....
"At This point...the Only branches that should be cut back to forks are those coming off the still undetermined trunkline, at correct spots and of appropriate size to remain in proportion with the finished tree while growing certain parts....and reducing the knuckle."
This is full of impossible. But nothing is impossible so we make the attempt.
Super attention to detail with our Future Vision Goggles freshly wiped clean with those wipes they were giving away free at Wal-Mart's eye center a while back.
Taking Everything into account.
Including the fact that one can find another Mugo to style into any number of different styles....
There is going to be 1 or 4 branches large enough to most quickly become a next segment of taper..a "new leader"...the LINE.
Of those couple few...
One will have the movement, or direction you want.
Isolate it.... And apply the impossible paragraph. Keeping in mind PROPORTION and SCALE.
Remove first, branches surrounding it...so it has full sun....and you lessen your knuckle.
20% of total foliage.
Then, after fully pondering the impossible...
At the appropriate time and health state....
You can begin to cut to forks and define the tree of the chosen trunk.
About 20% of its foliage...
About 5% more of the entore trees foliage.
So were down 25% total foliage...
And on a safe path...even this year and right now....to get it repotted near June or July's full moon.
By dormancy....if you repotted safe...
You may be able to ditch one more knuckle offending branch.
By then you'll know which is the worst offender.
Sorce
.
