Japanese Winterberry

[weetree3]

I just received my first Japanese Winterberry a few days ago. What soil mixture should I use? It is my understanding that the Winterberry likes a lot of water. The grower suggested 40% composted bark mulch, 50% pumice and 10% composted steer manure. I am using to using Boon’s mix.

Any suggest for styling? Which branches should I remove, which to use as sacrificial and which branches to wire and work on ramification?

As you can see this tree has a long way to go. Would you recommend a grow box or bonsai pot? It needs repotting big time.

Any other tips you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Any idea what the male holy would be to get berries? I can’t find a male Winterberry.

I know it has a long way to go but I really like the tree.

 

[quietobserver]

Super nice piece of material!!

 

[cbroad]

Not much advice, but I love winterberries and I'm totally jealous

Definitely increase the organics for extra water retention down where you live, and maybe a wind break if you get a lot of dry wind in the summer

 

[cbroad]

I know that with verticillata, they can be parthenocarpic (still will set fruit, but no seed) but not sure if it's the same with serrata, so you may not need a male unless you want fertile seed. But the berry set will always be larger if a male is present.

 

[cbroad]

Apollo and Raritan Chief are male verticillata x serrata hybrids so they may pollinate your serrata. I think the important thing is for their flowering times to coincide.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I would start by cleaning it up and seeing what you’re working with. Scrub the trunk with a toothbrush, excavate the soil just a bit to see the base. Serrata is really slow to close wounds. Yours looks vigorous in growth, but the trunk is looking uncharacteristically rough for the variety. Once you get it cleaned up, find a front that has the best base, and shoot some more pix. Multiple trunk I. Serrata are cool, you may have some options if you like that look. You’ll definitely need to address the knot at the top of the old trunk where the new growth starts.

You’ll likely need to prune the branches really hard and start rebuilding them from stubs or new growth. The current branches are really coarse, and are nearly impossible to wire when thicker than a pencil.

As for the pot, I’d keep it in a grow pot or Anderson flat for a few more years until you can start to close the trunk wounds a little. Inorganic soil is fine, but these are very thirsty trees, and the leaves get torched by mid summer here, even with good watering. Good luck, they’re not really common.

 

[TN_Jim]

reminds me of some truely wild apple trees....
steer manure
super neat

 

[Potawatomi13]

Has nice beginning trunk. Great possibilities. Boons mix OK to use however can make same mix at home likely cheaper.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Very cool tree! Where did you find one?

I see a good amount of these in landscapes, the berries look great in the winter time !

 

[weetree3]

Thank you all for the comments. Bought the tree from Mr. Chris Kirk.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Chris and Lisa great folks. Wrong forum. Not conifer.

 

[weetree3]

Chris and Lisa great folks. Wrong forum. Not conifer.

My bad. It's an evergreen. Since most evergreens are conifers, the two terms are often used interchangeably as the two types (deciduous and conifer, or broadleaf and conifer, as those that lose their leaves and those that don't). But some conifers are deciduous (larch, tamarack, baldcypress, dawn redwood) and many evergreens are not conifers (holly, live oak, laurel, eucalyptus...). So says an article I read. I guess it needs cones.

 

[Rid]

My bad. It's an evergreen. Since most evergreens are conifers, the two terms are often used interchangeably as the two types (deciduous and conifer, or broadleaf and conifer, as those that lose their leaves and those that don't). But some conifers are deciduous (larch, tamarack, baldcypress, dawn redwood) and many evergreens are not conifers (holly, live oak, laurel, eucalyptus...). So says an article I read. I guess it needs cones.

Evergreen? Where did the leaves go?

 

[coh]

I like the term "deciduous evergreen" to refer to trees like larch, dawn redwood, bald cypress

 

[Potawatomi13]

I like the term "deciduous evergreen" to refer to trees like larch, dawn redwood, bald cypress

Conifer is better generic term.

 

[mach6]

@weetree3 how did this tree progress? it's been almost a year

 

[weetree3]

The tree grew like crazy this year. It was potted in bonsai mix. Later this year I will start to select branches for wiring. The grow like weeds in the DFW area if you water them frequently and keep in partial shade. It up on some serious growth.

 

[エドガー]

Will they grow/fruit/flower in in SoCal 10b climate?

 

[weetree3]

Apollo and Raritan Chief are male verticillata x serrata hybrids so they may pollinate your serrata. I think the important thing is for their flowering times to coincide.

I bought the Apollo Male Winterbery last year. The male and female plants did not bloom at the same time. We will see this year. The male was only a 1 gallon size. It flowered but too late.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Let's see an updated pic!