Question about "collecting" Mugo Pine from my yard

darrellw

I've got a some Mugo Pines that have been in my yard for about 10 years, with little/no pruning done. A couple are getting some interesting trunks, and I would like to start training them. Should I prune/shape the tops for a while before digging them up, or should I dig them up and get them in pots first? Any top work would be much easier in a pot, as it is hard to see what is there otherwise. But I don't know if I would be better off using the exisiting roots while working on the tops, or to keep most of the top while I get a decent root system. I'm not planning on moving, so there isn't any time restriction, though where they are planted now they only get full sun for part of the day (other landscaping has grown), so the might benefit from more sun.

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bwaynef

Since no one else has offered, I'd venture to say that a few more months wouldnt hurt to let them sit. Collect them in late winter. You may prepare them for collection by cutting the roots on one side, or cut the roots with the shovel and then move a shovel's-distance and cut again, until you circle the tree. Back-fill the holes with good bonsai soil. That could only help too.

Maybe me bumping this thread will spark someone's interest that knows better than I about what(when) to do (something) with the top.

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Attila

Since I grow a lot of pines and other trees in the ground, I can tell you one useful thing about it. The tree can take much more drastic pruning in the ground than after it was transplanted into a pot. Incomparably more. So, if you plan to drastically alter the design, you may want to do that first, and wait another year before collecting it. You basically start training the tree into bonsai while is still in the ground. The good thing is that when you prune it in the ground, the root growth will slow down significantly, so you don't have to worry too much that the roots get even longer.

The downside is twofold.

One, you may end up being unsuccessful in transplanting the tree from ground to pot, so you've wasted a year training and then end up with nothing. But this is unlikely if you know what you are doing.

Two, after training the tree in the ground, and successfully collecting it, you may find that it has a horrible nebari, and may decide that it's not good enough for spending more time on it. So, you may want to dig down a bit just to make sure that it has an acceptable nebari before you decide to do anything.

If you plan to prune less than a third of the foliage, you don't need to worry about training in the ground, you can just dig it out and style afterwards.

NathanR

I agree with Attila. I would work on it when it is still in the ground for atleast two seasons, but you should figure out if it's worth the time.


Nathan