MUGO PINE FROM GARDEN STOCK

A burlap wrapped birds nest spring of 2016



and first styling with some assistance from Todd Schlafer spring 2018



more on this, here: http://arborartscollective.blogspot.com/2018/06/mugo-pine-first-styling.html

(the public is welcome to post a reply on the Arbor Arts Collective site)

Definitely nice start .....me NO success with any mugo...all dead so far

sorry to hear that Vlad... Vance Wood offers some very solid advice on Mugos (a simple google search of "vance wood mugo" will turn up a wealth of information...

Thanks Kevin for kind words and advice. However I have many other tree species which I maintain well and they make me happy

yamasuri wrote:Definitely nice start .....me NO success with any mugo...all dead so far  

Where do you live? That can have something to do with your success or lack of it.

Sweet tree Kevin. Makes me want to give another mugo a shot (killed one years ago). How long did you spend looking for one with such a nice structure?

MrFancyPlants wrote:Sweet tree Kevin.  Makes me want to give another mugo a shot (killed one years ago).  How long did you spend looking for one with such a nice structure?

less than 30 minutes... they were on clearance, and all looked to be about the same type of birds nest mess,
so I just felt around under the skirts until i found a fat base, and figured the rest out later LOL...
i DID however spend MANY hours looking at it once it came home

hey VANCE - glad to see you pop in !
check out the full post on the AAC blog

copy:
Where do you live? That can have something to do with your success or lack of it.

Montreal West 5a ....I don't think zone has to do something with it

yamasuri wrote:copy:
Where do you live? That can have something to do with your success or lack of it.

Montreal West 5a ....I don't think zone has to do something with it

nope... not a zone issue - that is my zone as well

That's true Kevin. Still have other looses over winter than why should I attempt to work with ones I had NO success

i aint the one arguing with you LOL !!!
i feel the same way about certain species...

some folks ask me: "how can you be into bonsai and NOT have a JBP ???"

i reply: "by simply not having one"

yamasuri wrote:copy:
Where do you live? That can have something to do with your success or lack of it.

Montreal West 5a ....I don't think zone has to do something with it

I just asked that to make certain you were not living in the desert somewhere.  I seriously doubt that climate is a definitive factor and that especially in your climate you should be able to grow Mugos with no problem.   I am thinking the problem is with something you are doing or not doing. Most of the time the problem comes down to a lack of water by those who think Mugos want to be kept dry like other Pines we hear about. The other main problem is the timing for repotting.

Vance Wood wrote:The other main problem is the timing for repotting.

and if i recall correctly, now is a great time for that, eh Vance ?

Just a quick update on how I am handling the substrate retention after reorientation until repotting next year

I secured the lower part of the cascade south of the trunk and just a bit above) with plastic mesh to hold that zone of soil in place... between now and next year I will allow and even encourage substrate to tumble out of the upper zone, slowly exposing the roots up there and asking them nicely to die off, please... In the meantime, I believe the lower zone will create more roots to compensate... My hope is that this will reduce the shock of removing what would otherwise be almost half the roots when repotting next year...

So start to remove some of the pot above the unwanted roots and actively discourage their health? In the middle of the growing season this should barely affect the tree if you do it slowly. Say about half an inch a week for 2 - 3 weeks.

Brendan - Unfortunately, the pot is super thick, sturdy, unbendable plastic (almost mica-like), so removing any of the pot itself would be difficult at best and would cause yet more stress to the tree... hence my fingers will be assisting the substrate in its exodus...

I do like the idea of using the mesh, Kevin.