first tree in my new collection, a small mugo

HI everyone
I just wanted to share this little mugo I resently purchased from a nursery. I decided to prune a few branches and make a first wiring of all the major branches. I know it isn't much, but to me it was quite a surprise to find a nursery-plant with some potential for bonsai. In any case it is the best I can present for now...any thoughts on how to improve this tree is much appreciated. The tree is apr. 27 cm high, the trunk base is apr. 2,4 cm wide. This first wiring intends to create a second trunk on the right side of the tree (if you look hard enough, you might see what I'm aiming for) ;-)

https://i.servimg.com/u/f68/15/88/31/04/p1012416.jpg

https://i.servimg.com/u/f68/15/88/31/04/p1012417.jpg

Hi Loke Emil,

Great buy there and your right a good potential one,the tree is very healthy,thanks for sharing

your friend,
Alex

Good start Loke Emil.
Where in DK do you live?

Kind regards
Peter

Hi Everyone.

This is how my little mugo looks like now. A small change for the better... I think. Still lots of work to do to unfold the potential. Don't mind the branch on the back side of the lower trunk. It is a sacrefice branch... for now ;-)



feel absolutely free to comment, you are most welcome ;-)

I really like that. Good job!

Hi Loke Emil,

Good to make already some interesting movement into the tree when it is still young.
The best is, to leave the lowest branches on the trunk because they allow the trunk to thicken
on the place you want and that is near the nerbari.
My experience with nursery material like yours is, that they might need some work on the roots.
Root work and changing the soil for some good draining material i would in this case do in August,
give it some recover time.
Mugo responds well to repotting in august, the roots are growing at that time and your tree is on the moment
in some stress of the styling work you performed.
Because the tree is still young you don't want to wait with this to long.
Because of the small needles i wonder is it Mugo Mops, a dwarf variety?
regards, Sunip

Thanks...Lee and Sunip, for the kind words. This tree is a bloody challenge - finding the (best) tree 'within', at all. But I'm confident that the tree will become a shohin show stopper... in about 50 years or so

No, seriously, I just like to see it respond well to my treatment and learn to promote some back budding as I go along

oh... and yes Sunip, it is a dwarf mugo variant... can't recall the exact name ;-)

Looks like a good tree to start the LONG learning process with.


Andrew

Hi everone

Just an update on my small mugo...which happened to become a bit taller over night. I had to do an emergency repot, because I realised that many of the roots had rotten over winter. I pruned back leaving almost no feeder roots and a very diminished root. I bare rooted the tree and potted it in a mix of lava/pumice in a small pot to gain control of the new root development. The tree is safe for now and the candles are starting to lengthen. Some of the large roots were left on the new trunk base for later jinning. The trunk base it self revealed an interesting curled knot - which in time will become more refined. I still think the tree is far from being a bonsai, but the new route it has taken, becomming a bunjin, is very exiting to me. I wonder if I just got very lucky with the root pruning/bare rooting or if this species is much stronger than I suspected? Perhaps stress from the ongoing root rot had already started a positive chemical reaction?

I also find it very interesting that the tree dramatically changes character according to different choises of 'front view'

Comments are welcome, as usual ;-)

Possible new front:


Another possible front:

Hi Loke Emil
First impression was; he is going quick.
On the condition of the roots i can't comment but, was there some miccorhizzum in the pot?
The tree in this pot looks nice however personally i would have planted it first in a bit bigger pot
to allow the tree to devellop stronger, specially a bunjingi benifits from a nice bark which is not there yet.
The fact that shoots are coming does not mean that the tree is feeling good enough.
Pine branches that have been cut of in winter show also shoots because of the energie that remained in the branch but eventually will fall back.
This does not say the tree wil not survive, but give him some time to recover, a pine will show only months later he was dead all the time.
Now the nerbari is visible it is clear that one had maybe choosen another movement.
I start always with the nerbari, this dictates for a very important part how the styling will go
In the first picture the tree dances, but in the second the nerbari shows a stronger connection with the earth.
I would not yn the upgoing roots but remove them next year.
I would advise you (if permitted) to take a few more pines on board and style them the way they show you,
maybe this pine will not be a bunjingi but a nice moyogi in the end.
regards, Sunip;)

Thanks for your time Sunip

I learned a thing or two from your comments

and yes I added some mycchorizza. In this pot, the tree will not develop bark flakes and foliage as strongly, I know. But I am very certain that no more roots will rot as long as the tree is in this pot.

About getting more pines onboard...I'm always on the look out for a promising pine...not easy where I live, though - even nursery stock is often a sorry disappointment and overly expensive I might add

This little tree might be less interesting to most of you guys.

However, It is still becomming a great teacher for me. Some might think I work too agressively with reference to my previous inlays in this post. In the early spring I had to do a rescue-repot-and rootpruning, due to root rot. I think it is safe to say that the tree survived and is thriving at the moment. Candles are developing fast now and some back budding has occured on two branches.


I quess, all I did, was to plant the tree in pure black lava gravel, add some myccorrizza, pace it in my greenhouse and feed lightly with organic fertiliser on a dayly basis. (Okay, I also put on Mozart on the garden stereo now and then).