Advice on my only Mugo Pine

[Inspired]

Hello everyone

Hope everyone's trees are doing mighty fine.

Help and advice needed please.

I acquired this pine a year ago and since then I have pruned off about 30%.

Upon removing the soil and moss at the base, i noticed that the trunk has rot and the roots were pot-bound. It seems the previous owner just slip potted into a larger pot.

Fast forward to today, the roots have rotted and i have begun removing some of the rot although i dont know how extensive it is further in. Also there has been die back of few branches.

As I heard that mugo pines can only be repotted in Summer safely I am unsure of what I can do now.

- Is it safe to repot now?

- Do I need to remove all of the root rot in the root ball? I may not have much roots by the look of things if I keep digging in.

- diatomite 30%, zeolite 20%, pine nuggets 10%, river sand 10%, soil 30% Is my potting mix ok?

- Is there a potting mix or something that I can buy to assist the fungi that the pine needs?

- Needles are yellow at the tips?

- Bark is getting flaky?

Any other tips and suggestions or info that may assist my pine's health would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Inspired

Possible Front


Extensive root rot. I have removed quite a fair bit but am afraid to go further as I may not have much left and put some soil back. You can also see pot bound root ring from previous pot.


Trunk with rot. I applied wood hardener and some lime sulfer last year but may need another application.


Another possible front with focus to be left side.

[Matthew]

That is a NICE piece of raw material you have there , something you don't see everyday except in Europe . Alot of deadwood to work with i would certainly be taking your time and maybe take this to a show /club meeting for some input . Hard to get a real idea on a few pics , Again nice piece of stock

[Inspired]

Hey thanks Matt its great to hear n thanks for dropping by to comment.

I do want to take my time and would prefer to wait till the "optimum time" to carry out the root rework

But I also fear that if I don't act (like I did a year), I may lose more limbs and root rot will sink in further..

Having said that I do see some new buds that may pop new needles any time now so to op or not.. just not sure at all

[Inspired]

Anyone with much experience on Mugos?

[Boics]

I'm not going to take the responsibility of recommending a re-pot although my thoughts are that this would be perfectly ok at this time.

Re your mix: diatomite 30%, zeolite 20%, pine nuggets 10%, river sand 10%, soil 30% Is my potting mix ok?

You could consider losing the soil and upping your pine nuggets - Depending on what you class as soil this may only add to water retaining/rot producing conditions.

The other point I wish to make is that IMO rot is usually something that happens as a result of conditions / micro climate the tree is in.

Is your tree in a place exposed to wind and maximum sun?
If not I would place here to ensure that conditions do not continue to favour moist and damp.

I do also think that safely and carefully removing all rot affected parts is a good idea.

Good luck!

[cre8ivbonsai]

A quick search found this thread ... viewtopic.php?f=131&t=6886&hilit=mugo

[bodhidharma]

I repot mine in August so you can do it now. I would go slowly and sort through the roots taking out only the dead ones and just clean it up a little. Repot it in GOOD soil and get the tree healthy before you work it hard. I would plan it over a few years of systematicly getting the tree to optimum health and then start planning a design. Dont bare root it and dont try and do it all at once. it will have circling roots and i would remove these slowly also. As Matthew said, great stock.

[Gerard]

I have a few, they are a mountain pine and do not like to be too wet as yours appears.
What I would do-
I have never had a problem re-potting at this time of year but I do like to leave some old soil.
Lift it from the pot and give it a soak for a day in fongarid solution. (this will get rid of the fungal nasties which may exist in the over wet soil.)
It should also wash away enough soil for this years re-pot.
Remove some of the dead roots and rotten wood.
Pot into a free draining mix.
When it has dried out a bit you might consider some "Earls wood hardener" for the deadwood.

By the way, fantastic material to work with.

[Inspired]

Guys much thanks for weighing in as any info all ads up as to whether I op' now or not.

Re your mix: diatomite 30%, zeolite 20%, pine nuggets 10%, river sand 10%, soil 30% Is my potting mix ok?
You could consider losing the soil and upping your pine nuggets - Depending on what you class as soil this may only add to water retaining/rot producing conditions.

- I was thinking same but thought to assist fungi and new roots, I needed more "fines" - the mix is already done.. maybe I can just add more pine nuggs?? Also the pine is out in pretty much 80% sun.

I repot mine in August so you can do it now. I would go slowly and sort through the roots taking out only the dead ones and just clean it up a little

- Your repot in August Bodhi did you do much root work and how much did you take off? Have you repotted many Mugos over the years during this time?

- Cre8tiv thanks for the link

Has anyone else done repots / rootwork and what results did you get?

I am slightly in favour of repotting as I think it needs it and I need to lose all that previous soil it is currently sitting in. Research from the web warns Mugos are often killed simply because of timing of the repot/root work and suggests that it only be done in summer (unlike other pines) when the tree is pushing and in active growth. This then makes me hesitant and pondering whether to wait a little longer.

Does Mugos respond differently because of location perhaps?

[Inspired]

I have never had a problem re-potting at this time of year but I do like to leave some old soil.
Lift it from the pot and give it a soak for a day in fongarid solution. (this will get rid of the fungal nasties which may exist in the over wet soil.)
It should also wash away enough soil for this years re-pot. Remove some of the dead roots and rotten wood. Pot into a free draining mix.

Hi Gerard it gives me some comfort to hear you and Boddhi have repotted successfully at this time. What is "Fongarid Solution" and where can I buy this?

The current mix that I have already made, should I just wash out the soil that I have added? It still seems light and loamy with some soil there to promote fine feeder roots and fungi and when and if it survives and goes on strong then over time i will move onto a more non organic mix.

Many thanks guys

[kcpoole]

I would remove the soil and Sand
the sand does nothing except fill up the holes in the mix and the Soil will do the same and hold water instead of the mic being free drainign.

The wiki does not have much on Mugo https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... =Mugo_Pine so if you would lie to start gathering info required them that will be awesome.

Like all pines, repot in Autumn or spring i believe

Ken

[Inspired]

Hi Ken I would agree too. If I do the root op' I am thinking of changing the angle which might mean more roots get chopped.. how much is safe? 30-50 perhaps%

I would like to contribute too however only have theories on Mugos from info that I have sourced.. no direct experience though happy to report as time goes.

[Gerard]

Fongarid is a powder sachet available at nurseries or large hardware warehouses. Don,t be too aggressive with root reduction, after removing a few rotten or dead ones you do not want to stress the tree too much. A very healthy tree you would remove about 25%. I would sieve out the fine soil from your mix.

[MoGanic]

Hi Ken I would agree too. If I do the root op' I am thinking of changing the angle which might mean more roots get chopped.. how much is safe? 30-50 perhaps%

I would like to contribute too however only have theories on Mugos from info that I have sourced.. no direct experience though happy to report as time goes.

Hi mate,

I concur that repotting should occur now however, if your tree is not 100% in health, I'd be concentrating on simply getting it into a good quality soil and removing only the dead/rotted roots as Bodhi suggested. Angle changes and root reduction can be done once the tree is healthy and vigorous.

PS: Amazing piece of stock, really great potential in this one.

Regards,
-Mo

[Inspired]

I concur that repotting should occur now however, if your tree is not 100% in health, I'd be concentrating on simply getting it into a good quality soil and removing only the dead/rotted roots as Bodhi suggested. Angle changes and root reduction can be done once the tree is healthy and vigorous.

Hi Mo you have summed it up nicely for me. People so far have been great and all seems to hum to the tune of repot now minimizing root work where possible.

This is what I needed to hear so thank you all very much!

One more thing, my current mix should I wash out the soil or can I just add say more diatomite/zeolite/pine nuggets/pumice?

I heard though memory loss of something that promotes the fungi.. anyone have an idea what this could be

hmm was it soil? some compound? spray? solution mix? I really cant recall