Japanese quince clump

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
This is the quince I salvaged two months ago when electricity works removed it from its spot to install new lamp posts.
The individual shoots fused together, so it is one big clump. The base is about 6" wide and the tallest trunk is 4".
Autumn was quite hot, so it pushed a few shoots. It will spend the winter in the cellar to keep it away from the frosts.
I'd like to make a clump style tree out of it, just like the famous Japanese chojubais. Any tipps to achieve this goal is much appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20200907_212346.jpg
    IMG_20200907_212346.jpg
    166.9 KB · Views: 246
  • IMG_20201109_212659.jpg
    IMG_20201109_212659.jpg
    175.9 KB · Views: 212

0soyoung

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
7,496
Reaction score
12,832
Location
Anacortes, WA (AHS heat zone 1)
USDA Zone
8b
Chaenomeles sucker, meaning they spontaneously produce new shoots from the roots. The stems thicken slowly, so they are almost inherently clumps. Chojubai are just a dwarf variety of chaenomeles.

Treating them like a hedge is the easiest way to develop it. After it blooms in spring, just cut it back with hedge shears into the shape you like. Then let it grow and shear it again in early summer (Jul/Aug) and let it grow. After leaves have dropped, you can do a little pruning to remove knobs (where too many branches sprout from a stem) and to generally make the structure look nice.

Stems can also be wired when they are new/young. It only takes a month or two for them to set before the wire can be removed.

They are also reasonably easy to graft during the growing season. In other words, you can use the pruning cuttings for free scions to make low branches on the thicker trunks.

Lots of options, lots of fun, and beautiful flowers!
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
Messages
12,420
Reaction score
27,854
Location
Charlotte area, North Carolina
USDA Zone
8a
The only thing I would add to the good advice given above is to determine how many trunks you want in your clump, and then prune all other suckers as they appear. I am not kidding when I say that if you let a Japanese quince have its way you can truly get a mass of trunks 24" or more in diameter. So many trunks, in fact, that you lose all design, and it just looks like a shrub.
 

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Progression update:
Unfortunately the "trunks" I left during the shaping after collection sprouted very low and their top sections died. I cut them back and removed the unnecessary shoots.
It grew vigorously last year. Few weeks ago I selected the shoots I want to keep and wired them for the first time.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20220414_172908.jpg
    IMG_20220414_172908.jpg
    297.4 KB · Views: 165

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Today I repotted the clump into a smaller wooden box. I love zeolite: it produces a nice amount of fibrous roots. Did not bareroot it, just removed the excess zeolite, and placed it into its new home. Left the shoots long to thicken them.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230209_133954.jpg
    IMG_20230209_133954.jpg
    162.7 KB · Views: 138
  • IMG_20230209_133846.jpg
    IMG_20230209_133846.jpg
    181.5 KB · Views: 120
  • IMG_20230209_132300.jpg
    IMG_20230209_132300.jpg
    149.1 KB · Views: 97
  • IMG_20230209_132203.jpg
    IMG_20230209_132203.jpg
    292.2 KB · Views: 89
  • IMG_20230209_131852.jpg
    IMG_20230209_131852.jpg
    278 KB · Views: 88
  • IMG_20230209_131842.jpg
    IMG_20230209_131842.jpg
    263.3 KB · Views: 128
Last edited:

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
Chaenomeles sucker, meaning they spontaneously produce new shoots from the roots. The stems thicken slowly, so they are almost inherently clumps. Chojubai are just a dwarf variety of chaenomeles.

Treating them like a hedge is the easiest way to develop it. After it blooms in spring, just cut it back with hedge shears into the shape you like. Then let it grow and shear it again in early summer (Jul/Aug) and let it grow. After leaves have dropped, you can do a little pruning to remove knobs (where too many branches sprout from a stem) and to generally make the structure look nice.

Stems can also be wired when they are new/young. It only takes a month or two for them to set before the wire can be removed.

They are also reasonably easy to graft during the growing season. In other words, you can use the pruning cuttings for free scions to make low branches on the thicker trunks.

Lots of options, lots of fun, and beautiful flowers!
I've just reread yout comment. Shouldn't I bother thickening the branches rather prune it back to 2 buds? Will this create taper in the long run?
 

0soyoung

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
7,496
Reaction score
12,832
Location
Anacortes, WA (AHS heat zone 1)
USDA Zone
8b
I've just reread yout comment. Shouldn't I bother thickening the branches rather prune it back to 2 buds? Will this create taper in the long run?
It will, but it will be a very 'long run' getting there, because of how slowly stems thicken.
 

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
It will, but it will be a very 'long run' getting there, because of how slowly stems thicken.
If it is so slow then why don't just grow out to have more foliage mass and quicker thickening, then cutting it back when the desired thickness is achieved?
I guess doing it like this one would risk that the branch would not bud, rather the plant would grow new shoots from the 'trunk' (and suckers from roots), right? At least this is what happened after collecting, the branches with decent thickness died back, and new ones grew from the base.
 
Last edited:

0soyoung

Imperial Masterpiece
Messages
7,496
Reaction score
12,832
Location
Anacortes, WA (AHS heat zone 1)
USDA Zone
8b
Perhaps I misunderstood your prior post ...
why don't just grow out to have more foliage mass and quicker thickening, then cutting it back when the desired thickness is achieved?
This is the basic tenet of bonsai.
Phrased another way: a pruned stem won't thicken (much) until the shoots from it are nearly the same thickness.
I guess doing it like this one would risk that the branch would not bud, rather the plant would grow new shoots from the 'trunk' (and suckers from roots), right? At least this is what happened after collecting, the branches with decent thickness died back, and new ones grew from the base.
Yah, I have a couple that I dug from the landscape around my home and this is exactly what happened to me as well. Despite this, I am not convinced that this will necessarily/always be the case.

On the other hand, I have a Toyo Nishiki that I've air layered many times. The original trunk has produced flower buds (ala Jabutocaba) but not vegetative buds. It must be something like 20 years old now and only about an inch thick. I acquired it as nursery stock, so it likely has always been a potted plant The oldest seven layers from it are about 0.75 inches and I don't get but a few flower buds on them. I am pretty sure that they all have long internodes and that I would need to make/develop short internode stems to create the wall of flowers image that i was pursuing for many years They are easily grafted, so the disappearance (?) of vegetative buds is not an impediment.
 

szelelaci

Mame
Messages
121
Reaction score
199
Location
Budapest, Hungary
This is how it looks today.
In the spring it grew very vigorously but after first cutback it stopped. Few days ago it dropped it leaves, so I tidied it up, and wired.
 

Attachments

  • IMG20231030133719.jpg
    IMG20231030133719.jpg
    182.7 KB · Views: 53
  • IMG20231030133728.jpg
    IMG20231030133728.jpg
    278.5 KB · Views: 73
Top Bottom