KateM's 2024 Vance Wood Memorial Mugo 4 Yr Contest.

[KateM]

Dwarf mugos from HD. Did not do anything to them yet. Planning on doing some whorl cleanup this weekend just to open them up a little and repot in late May early June.
It was hard to get good pic of the trunks as they are very congested.
Entry #1.

View attachment 20240416_182220.mp4
Entry #2

View attachment 20240416_181454.mp4

 

[Deleted member 47471]

Dwarf mugos from HD. Did not do anything to them yet. Planning on doing some whorl cleanup this weekend just to open them up a little and repot in late May early June.
It was hard to get good pic of the trunks as they are very congested.
Entry #1.
View attachment 540734
View attachment 540735
Entry #2
View attachment 540737
View attachment 540738

Cat not impressed

 

[Deleted member 47471]

Just saw the skeleton hand

 

[KateM]

Just saw the skeleton hand

It's my helping hand.
Halloween decoration, but it works pretty well.

 

[Silphium]

That's a nice branch coming off that tree!

 

[KateM]

Update.
Entry #1:
Potted in a pond basket today. This one had more white feeder roots than #2 originally, much looser root ball and grew candles earlier too. Feeder roots weren't there today and a lot of bark soil cleaned out easily. There is a root knuckle and roots were going round, about, down and up again. I am not overly confident in this repot...
This one could've fitted in a smaller basket, but idecided to put in the same size as #2.

 

[KateM]

Entry #2:
This one got potted in a pond basket, too.
The root ball is rock solid and I was not able to comb out anything radially. The new feeder roots were at the bottom and got sawn off with the bottom half... I have to wait and see what happens now...

This one got candles growinguch later than #1.

 

[KateM]

 

[KateM]

#1 fall update
This one did poorly. Outright bad looking at the pics after repot. The top right part is still alive and has healthy looking bids at the tips.
Not sure it's going to make it through the winter...

 

[KateM]

#2 fall update
This one did well.
Healthy buds at the tips, backbudded on the old wood too.
Noticed today it got some pine scale. Sprayed and going to water in some systemic tomorrow.

 

[KateM]

#1 spring update. DEAD.

 

[KateM]

#2 spring update.
Doing well.

 

[KateM]

#2
Looks very happy

 

[KateM]

#2 - The only one now...
Did some wiring (terrible) and thinning out.
I freely admit I haven't a slightest idea what I am doing and trying make bold decisions here.
I want to keep the cascading branch.
I failed to remove this year's growth and it is starting the 2hd flash... did not get a whole lot of back budding this year. Most of it seems to be on the branches I probably won't keep. That's if it makes it.
Still some pine scale resent, but not a lot. Will treat again.
The tree is much more open now.
Before

After

 

[RobbiePizz]

I think it looks nice! I always have to explain to friends/family that are not into bonsai that "it's going to look worse before it looks amazing". I think you've set yourself up with a nice framework. Hopefully some back budding will help the tree become more compact.