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Nursery Mugo

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Post  MrFancyPlants Mon May 25, 2009 10:29 pm

I picked this one up at a garden center due to it's smaller needles and larger trunk. Since I managed to keep that other pine alive for a couple years, I figured I deserved to splurge a bit on this one. When I got it in March, I trimmed down the edge of the pot, in hopes that some of the soil would wash away to reveal the lower trunk. I removed a few branches to try and open it up, but was real conservative since I don't know what design I will go with until I see what the roots look like. The two branches removed from the "flat" side were done before I received the plant. I plan on repotting this fall into a pond basket.

I have never worked with a Mugo before so I have a few questions:

How careful should I be when repotting? I generally like to error on the side of caution, but I know leaving original soil close in can be just as bad. Fortunately, it seems to be pretty sandy soil. I sure hope I don't discover a chuck of clay wrapped in burlap in the middle.

Do you have any tips on how to open this up some? I'd like to continue to remove a branch or two at a time. you can see in the foreground I removed the largest of four branches emanating from one spot. I figured this would keep the growth closest to the trunk and create better taper. Should I eventually remove one more branch to reduce it to a fork?

In the last photo you can see a lot of smaller branches growing from the same region. Is there a strategy that I can employ to remove those even though I am not sure what design I am working towards yet?

Thanks for your help,
David

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Post  Joe Hatfield Tue May 26, 2009 2:09 am

Can you include a picture of the complete tree from the side? It would give me a better look at what you have. Removing branches isn't a big deal but telling you which one to remove is difficult without seeing the whole tree. Check this out in the mean time. http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPine%20Pruning.html
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Post  Kev Bailey Tue May 26, 2009 11:08 am

This looks to me like a variety of Mugo such as Mops. If it is, they are usually much more difficult to induce back budding on.
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Post  MrFancyPlants Sat May 30, 2009 6:57 pm

I grabbed a few more photos from different angles. The link recommended re potting in summer during dormancy. Would this be during the hottest part of the summer?

Thanks,
David
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Post  Kev Bailey Sat May 30, 2009 8:28 pm

The advice regarding potting in the summer is backed up by experience of a lot of well known artists. Many trees have a period of rest at the height of summer and then begin a new period of growth at the back end of the year. This August resting happens to be the perfect period for mugho repotting. I have done it with P m Mops and seedling P mugo and it works well.
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Post  Vance Wood Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:42 am

I have had good luck repotting Mugos any time after the middle of June through the end of August, even when they are actively growing; I grow a lot of Mugos.
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Post  prestontolbert Tue Jun 02, 2009 6:52 am

I have a P. m. "Pumillio" that I chopped back ruthlessly in march. I only left three small nodes with needles, but now it's covered with a flush of growth. It's budding everywhere but the roots.
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Post  Vance Wood Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:27 pm

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. Could you be a little more specific? What exactly do you mean that it is budding everywhere but the roots?
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Post  prestontolbert Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:46 pm

Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant that buds are popping most of the way down the trunk. I hacked at it in march and didn't look at it till yesterday. I was surprised to see it covered from the base of the trunk up with needles. I meant that the surface roots didn't have needles.
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Post  Vance Wood Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:41 pm

prestontolbert wrote:Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant that buds are popping most of the way down the trunk. I hacked at it in march and didn't look at it till yesterday. I was surprised to see it covered from the base of the trunk up with needles. I meant that the surface roots didn't have needles.

Now I understand. One word of caution. Mugos will do this but don't be over confident that the tree is out of the woods so to speak. Do not do anything with this tree for the rest of this year. I have seen Mugos, and have had a couple that pushed a lot of buds and quasi new growth all over the place after being severely pruned only to have that new growth wither and die within a month or two. Very often trees will issue a survival response right before they die. I don't mean to be negative about your tree's chances it may very well do fine, but I would still suggest leaving it alone for the rest of the year. How it makes it through next winter will tell the tale if it makes it that long. I guess what I am trying to say is not to get over enthusiastic about your tree's response and think now you can do anything with it. This is one area where this tree can be rather sensitive.
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Post  prestontolbert Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:25 pm

Thanks for the response. I don't have any plans to do anything to it for a few years aside from candling.
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