Mugo and Austrian pines

[TreeNoob]

Just picked up this mugo and Austrian for half off today $10 and $20. I did some minor root work on the mugo when clearing out the trunk and put it in the pond basket. Nothing too major. Cut a few branches off of it. But now I’m kinda stuck wondering what to do. I read doing this kind of work on mugo at the end of summer is preferred. I’m new to bonsai but pines especially seem to be a little more complex. Any tips on finishing the mugo this year and how to attack the Austrian black would be awesome. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read this. These little trees are honestly helping better my life.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If the Austrian pine is a cultivar, specifically the 'oregon' variety, I think it's better to plant it out as a yard tree. They sell those over here and that specific cultivar is everything you wouldn't want in bonsai.
Otherwise, sweet! Consider branch selection and hacking it back to compact the design.

As far as the mugo goes, I think the work for this year has finished. Maybe consider wiring it in early winter, late fall. But not too extreme as it'll upset the roots if you move it around too much in the pot.

 

[MSU JBoots]

I agree with guy wires. For the Austrian pine I would do some branch selection and reduce the number of branches at each whorl so you don’t get ugly swellings like mine has.

As for the mugo you’ve likely done enough for now. Check out the resource section on this site for the Compiled Posts by Vance Wood on Mugo Pines.

 

[TreeNoob]

Thanks, I ended up browsing more last night and found a post that seemed to be a summary of Vance’s posts on mugo. Thanks for your input. I wasn’t sure if there was more branch cutting to be done on the mugo or not.

 

[Paradox]

Thanks, I ended up browsing more last night and found a post that seemed to be a summary of Vance’s posts on mugo. Thanks for your input. I wasn’t sure if there was more branch cutting to be done on the mugo or not.

There may be more branches you can eliminate on the mugo BUT you have done a lot already. Doing too much work all at once can kill the trees. Better to do it over a couple of years or more to let the tree recover a bit in between.

Bonsai is a marathon not a sprint

 

[TreeNoob]

There may be more branches you can eliminate on the mugo BUT you have done a lot already. Doing too much work all at once can kill the trees. Better to do it over a couple of years or more to let the tree recover a bit in between.

Bonsai is a marathon not a sprint

I’ve definitely realized this the more I’ve read. Now it’s about putting everything I’ve read into practice hands on and figuring out the right balance. Getting a better understanding of pine.