Cotoneaster apiculatus - from nursery stock 2018

[GrampaMoses]

Hello! I wanted to share this Cotoneaster I've been working on for a few years.


3/21/2018 Photographed as purchased.


3/25/2018 First styling and wiring. Planted in Napa 8822/pumice/lava rock in a 9" pond basket.


8/18/2018 - Continually pruned back to 2-3 leaves throughout the year.


9/22/2018 - Cleaned up for display. Showing off the hallow that was carved and burned a few weeks prior.


4/26/2019 - Continually hedge pruned. It flowered quite nicely in 2019.


4/26/2019 - Flower detail


4/26/2019 - Flower closeup.


2/23/2020 - Early spring, my first tree to show green leaves and break dormancy. Roughly 30% root removal and 20% branch removal. Potted in a mica training pot, reusing the old soil, and wired up.


2/28/2020 - Several days later I changed my mind on the planting angle and wired a few more branches. I plan to let it grow in this mica pot until spring of 2022 when it will get placed in a smaller bonsai pot.

Please share any thoughts or ideas you have about this tree! Or any tips about Cotoneaster in general. (like how to pronounce it, do you say coton easter, or kehtO-nee-Aster?)

 

[Vance Wood]

You need to make a diligent search for the correct pot for this bonsai. I would put it into a round pot with a pie-crust edge and perhaps a blue glazed finish.

 

[Colorado]

Great progression, especially for just 2 years!

I have a couple of these that I bought late last fall for $4 each. I want to grab another couple.

Love the flowers!

 

[GrampaMoses]

You need to make a diligent search for the correct pot for this bonsai. I would put it into a round pot with a pie-crust edge and perhaps a blue glazed finish.

Thanks so much for the suggestion! Most of my collection is prebonsai and I know almost nothing when it comes to choosing the correct pot for a finished bonsai. Luckily, I have 2 years to find the correct pot for this bonsai before I'm ready to repot it again.

I imagine a 6"-7" round pot would be best?

 

[RJG2]

I was just looking at this from the Reddit nursery contest a couple years ago (as I impatiently wait for this year's post). Nice to see some updates!

 

[GrampaMoses]

I was just looking at this from the Reddit nursery contest a couple years ago (as I impatiently wait for this year's post). Nice to see some updates!

Thanks! I actually did post an update on Reddit last week. But that website moves so fast it's easy to miss something. That's part of why I'm posting here right now. I'd like to start a thread for each of my favorite trees so I can just update the old thread every time I have an updated picture or do significant work on it. It's a bit more organized.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Design has pizzazz!

 

[RJG2]

Thanks! I actually did post an update on Reddit last week. But that website moves so fast it's easy to miss something. That's part of why I'm posting here right now. I'd like to start a thread for each of my favorite trees so I can just update the old thread every time I have an updated picture or do significant work on it. It's a bit more organized.

I think I saw the post, but neglected to click the link to the album (I just went back and looked), whoops!

Love the little flowers.

 

[micahmcgrath]

Hello! I wanted to share this Cotoneaster I've been working on for a few years.

View attachment 285808
3/21/2018 Photographed as purchased.

View attachment 285809
3/25/2018 First styling and wiring. Planted in Napa 8822/pumice/lava rock in a 9" pond basket.

View attachment 285810
8/18/2018 - Continually pruned back to 2-3 leaves throughout the year.

View attachment 285811
9/22/2018 - Cleaned up for display. Showing off the hallow that was carved and burned a few weeks prior.

View attachment 285812
4/26/2019 - Continually hedge pruned. It flowered quite nicely in 2019.

View attachment 285813
4/26/2019 - Flower detail

View attachment 285814
4/26/2019 - Flower closeup.

View attachment 285815
2/23/2020 - Early spring, my first tree to show green leaves and break dormancy. Roughly 30% root removal and 20% branch removal. Potted in a mica training pot, reusing the old soil, and wired up.

View attachment 285816
2/28/2020 - Several days later I changed my mind on the planting angle and wired a few more branches. I plan to let it grow in this mica pot until spring of 2022 when it will get placed in a smaller bonsai pot.

Please share any thoughts or ideas you have about this tree! Or any tips about Cotoneaster in general. (like how to pronounce it, do you say coton easter, or kehtO-nee-Aster?)

Beautiful tree! Excited to see where this one goes. In the first potting, how much would you say you reduced the rootball? I have one that I'm repotting this year.

 

[GrampaMoses]

Beautiful tree! Excited to see where this one goes. In the first potting, how much would you say you reduced the rootball? I have one that I'm repotting this year.

Thanks! I don't exactly remember to be honest. Probably by 50% or more, the nursery container was full of roots.

For most nursery material I've worked with, I typically use a hand saw to remove the bottom 1/3 of the roots then use sheers to remove the circling roots on the outer edges. For conifers that's enough for the first repotting, but for deciduous like this cotoneaster, I'm a bit more aggressive and will tickle the soil out of the roots for a bit before potting it. You can see from the pictures above that the second repotting I will wash out any remaining nursery soil.