AusBonsai

Hey all,

Thought I would share my first Mugo Pine that I received yesterday, it's a bit clunky and knuckley but it looks to be alright to get a feel for the species.
For the moment I will let it get used to it's new surroundings and try and formulate and idea on taking it forward.

Pretty cool tree to start with.

Big base, some flare, good branch choice and and Healthy foliage.

These things get reverse taper easily - don't have bar. Ranches.

I see the future in removing everything but the first branch and building the tree from there. Informal upright style.

I've had luck airlayering thick mugo trunk (100% success... but only tried one) so don't do anything drastic without trying to make a new tree.

Keep us posted:

I don't know much about pines, but it's a damn fine dog, the beer's even better, so you're well ahead already.

You could cut very low, and redevelop a whole tree, but you'd be taking ten to twenty years - for your first Mugo maybe reduce the height by a third, cut all the bar branches, leaving the best balancing branches to build from, cut them back then wire some interesting shape into the trunk while you can. Wire the branches next season. If you've just bought it, check the root ball - if it's tight and nasty, the first priority might be to repot it, leaving all the foliage to drive recovery (except the bar branches), then do the wiring and cutting branches back in autumn.

Have fun!

Gavin

I wouldn't cut it down low at all. These trees are very supple. Put some heavy wire on the trunk and as many interesting bends into it as you can. Tilt the planting angle as well. Once you have created interesting movement only then remove the bar branches because you will have a direction for what branches to keep according to the bends etc....
Its very nice material to work with don't waste it buy cutting it
Cheers
Kirky

is that grafted?

Daluke wrote:Pretty cool tree to start with.

Big base, some flare, good branch choice and and Healthy foliage.

These things get reverse taper easily - don't have bar. Ranches.

I see the future in removing everything but the first branch and building the tree from there. Informal upright style.

I've had luck airlayering thick mugo trunk (100% success... but only tried one) so don't do anything drastic without trying to make a new tree.

Keep us posted:

Cheers, yeah I can tell in some areas already around the upper branches they are knuckling up and bulging and left on their own will create a reverse taper in a couple of areas.

Cutting down to that first branch is an option but at the moment not sure I want to, as others have mentioned it maybe better utilizing what is there as a way to learn the species. Got time to think on it though.

Also totally agree that any chop I may want to make I should give an air layer a chance first, excellent that you have had success so that is encouraging.

GavinG wrote:I don't know much about pines, but it's a damn fine dog, the beer's even better, so you're well ahead already.

You could cut very low, and redevelop a whole tree, but you'd be taking ten to twenty years - for your first Mugo maybe reduce the height by a third, cut all the bar branches, leaving the best balancing branches to build from, cut them back then wire some interesting shape into the trunk while you can. Wire the branches next season. If you've just bought it, check the root ball - if it's tight and nasty, the first priority might be to repot it, leaving all the foliage to drive recovery (except the bar branches), then do the wiring and cutting branches back in autumn.

Have fun!

Gavin

Me neither as this is my first pine, reading up on them sounds like fun anyway. The dog is pretty cool too, photo-bombs everything and the beer is nice but I do miss my Coopers.

This was similar to my first thoughts, it definitely needs a clean out so seems like a place to start. And the roots probably should be first up, they don't seem too bad now but after the growing season they will be a mess so probably better to get that out of the way first.

KIRKY wrote:I wouldn't cut it down low at all. These trees are very supple. Put some heavy wire on the trunk and as many interesting bends into it as you can. Tilt the planting angle as well. Once you have created interesting movement only then remove the bar branches because you will have a direction for what branches to keep according to the bends etc....
Its very nice material to work with don't waste it buy cutting it
Cheers
Kirky

Good suggestion really, I havenever wired something as big as this though but am keen to give it a crack. I might have to upgrade my wire collection.

no idea wrote:is that grafted?

It looks like it but up close I don't think it is. Not a grafting expert but if it is it is the cleanest I have ever seen.

can't see clearly what is happening at the apex--is it damaged or diseased in some way?

tgward wrote:can't see clearly what is happening at the apex--is it damaged or diseased in some way?

Flowering maybe?

Nice tree, dog and Beer
Ken

It would seem that they have cut the top and the rest are old flowers that sprung from it. That is what it looks like to me anyway.

Cheers Ken.

Hi There

For a smaller compact tree,second right branch is the two thirds of your tree right there.

Tilt the bottom away from viewer and to the left, the middle stand up more and bring slightly forward wired and the top coming forward more over base and centre wired..just one option.

Red line cut and grey is the rest of your tree.

Anthony