Mugo Pine pre-bonsai styling question.

[Matt1]

Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me with my question.

Bought this little guy in August and I have done some minor shorting of the tree and I just cant figure out what to do with it. I feel that it might be a little top heavy. I am not set on any one styling at the moment but I would like to give it more of a traditional bonsai look. Any suggestions?

 

[jk_lewis]

It's pretty thin and spindly as is. I think I'd spend a couple of years pinching candles as they form in an attempt to get some foliage closer to the trunk and thus being able to shorten those LONG branches.

That's a difficult task with pines, but it seems to me to be your only choice.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me with my question.

Bought this little guy in August and I have done some minor shorting of the tree and I just cant figure out what to do with it. I feel that it might be a little top heavy. I am not set on any one styling at the moment but I would like to give it more of a traditional bonsai look. Any suggestions?

There is not much you can do with this tree till July of the coming year. Depending on what response you get from your cut back in August, which should be starting to show a bunch of new buds all over the place, you are going to have to let these new buds run wild till next summer. This is an important point: Let them grow till July before you even touch them. Also do not pull off or cut off any of the old needles. You will have better results getting back budding with them in place. Then you can start to see some directions. It is good that you have no pre-selected plans as what you want to do, this leaves you with all options on table.

I would however; consider removing one of the two major branches; but, this can possibly wait till the trunk thickens a bit more unless the trunk starts to thicken at the crotch instead of the base. This is a common problem with the way Mugos develop. The tend to form knuckles at the point where the new growth emerges. In the spring as the tree pops, post some pictures and I will do what I can to help you get through this stage of development as well as the advice from other growers.

 

[Matt1]

Great tips. Thanks very much.

I do have one more question. If I decided to cut one of the main branches, I was thinking of the one on the right, could I do that now or wait till the summer?

 

[Paradox]

Now is not the best time to prune Mugos. I would wait until next summer if you really feel the need to do it that soon. As Vance stated, that branch may be helping your trunk get some thickness to it, so it might be good to wait a year or more and see how the tree grows.

 

[edprocoat]

Matt good luck with your mugo ! I would take all the advice Vance Wood has to offer on a mugo, he has plenty of experience with them and has some that are fantastic specimens. Look him up to see what I mean.

ed

 

[ghues]

Some good advise given already, however I'd consider putting it in the ground and let it grow for a while if you have that option.
Cheers Graham

 

[Vance Wood]

JMHO but it seems to me that Mugos do better in pots. Put them in the ground and the new growth tends to get too corpulent and difficult to control, plus the bark does not form up well. But that's just my opinion.