Overhaul of a 59 year old Mugo Pine.

[Grant Bowie]

Looking good Grant. Nice and healthy. I gave spent a while looking at the pic, and have noticed a very defined horizontal line running across the bottom of the foliage and small straight section of trunk. Once I saw it my eye travelled back and forth several times and it was all I could focus on. A little tilt to the left and the foliage brought down on the right would remove that visual effect?

Still envious of the old pines your playing with.

Hi Jarrod,

Yes you are right about the straight lines and I may need to finesse it more.

When I repot the tree I may have to change the whole angle of the tree to fit it into the new pot as they are not very deep.

I could also drop the back branch down a touch more to disrupt the line.

grant

[Jarrod]

Yeah I was sure you'd be on it! Can't wait to see it when it's all settled into it's new home.

[Grant Bowie]

UPDATE,

Hi everyone,

I had to take the wire off a few months ago as it was starting to bite in. It has mostly stayed where I wanted it too but of course has moved a bit. The back branch has not set well and has moved out of shape a fair bit. A portion of one of the lower branches has also drooped a bit.

I potted the tree into the crescent pot at the end of February and its doing fine. Used my mix of Diatomite, Coco Peat, Pine bark Mini Nuggets and Gravel.

It now needs rewiring and I will cut out some branches in the middle to open it up a bit.

Mugo pine May 2011.JPG

I am happy enough with its progress over the last year.
Grant

[Leigh Taafe]

Looking good! What are the dimensions of this tree?

[Mitchell]

Yum!

[Grant Bowie]

Looking good! What are the dimensions of this tree?

Hmm,

Its about this big by this much wide but not as deep.

Grant

[Pup]

Looking good! What are the dimensions of this tree?

Hmm,

Its about this big by this much wide but not as deep.

Grant

Not quite that though

[tex048]

Great transformation
Love love love the pot.
What are the details / origins of it??

[Grant Bowie]

Great transformation
Love love love the pot.
What are the details / origins of it??

I bought the pot in Melbourne second hand from John M. I bought 2 in fact.

Grant

[NBPCA]

Update.

The tree is doing fine this year after all the work last year and is basically resting.

I have decided this year to just tidy up the jins and shari, feed it well and get it into robust health.

I will probably just do light candle snapping/candle removal as necessary and I am considering taking it for workshop with Boon next year.

Grant

[FatMingsBonsai]

Thank you kindly to all involved for a blow by blow instructions in which I am enjoying immensely, not to mention learning.

Cheers fellas

[Grant Bowie]

This is the Mugo at present and will work to have it ready for the shows this year; if not the AABC Convention in May then the show for CBS in October,

grant

[Webos]

No photo... Looking forward to seeing how its going.

[Grant Bowie]

Hi all,

After a few years of experimenting I have decided to treat mugo pine exactly as for black pine. The European artists have told us not to cut the candles but to only candle snap by 1/3 or 2/3rds. I have found this incorrect and will remove all new candles in early summer as for a black pine.

Below is the tree needle plucked and ready for wiring.

Grant

IMG_4916.JPG

[Grant Bowie]

IMG_4949.JPG