My cotoneaster collection progression

[MMJNICE]

So I've been growing cotoneaster for some years but to be honest Ive killed and sold more then I own right now but mostly just killed do to some kinda fungal infection on the leaves that tend to show up right as the spring time gets really going. It's like this black stuff that I can't fully identify slowly in a matter of weeks to sometimes days just takes them out and they wither away and die. I've had some seriously nice mature trees not make it past two seasons with me but this season was different. I decided to over winter my cranberry cotoneaster in the garage instead of the greenhouse and they got sprayed every three days with a copper fungicide mixed with mancozeb as soon as buds started moving and that has seemed to nip things in the "bud" hehehe.. luckily I put a few cranberry cotoneaster in the ground 3 years ago when they first showed signs of the disease and that saved them from their fate. In the ground they thickened up a lot and got good and strong so im feeling myself and decided that I may have found the trick to keep them alive long-term........ I really hope. So will continue to update this post periodically. I can't sleep because I lost my dog yesterday after 12 years of being best friends and I miss him a lot so bonsai therapy to the rescue.. first two trees are cranberry cotoneaster and the other two are the smaller leaf cotoneaster that keeps some of their leaves over the winter time. The cranberry had been in the ground for 3 years and the smaller leaf ones are much more resistant to disease so I've never lost one of those little guys before. The smaller leaf were grown from cuttings i took a couple of years ago.. All my cotoneaster have all grown a bunch so far this year I know the pictures are a little out of order but hopefully you can tell which picture goes with what tree... These trees are far from being refined trees right now but i see the potential in them for the future. The first tree still haven't picked a front both Sides look good to me..

 

[Notsureaboutplantnames]

Fire blight?
Very fast moving bacterial disease of many plants in the rose family. The leaves die very quickly (remaining attached) and the infection will overwinter on the stems awaiting spring rains and splashing water or bees ti spread.
If you see black areas on plants that have had the rapid dieback that might be where the bacteria overwinter.

 

[MMJNICE]

Fire blight?
Very fast moving bacterial disease of many plants in the rose family. The leaves die very quickly (remaining attached) and the infection will overwinter on the stems awaiting spring rains and splashing water or bees ti spread.
If you see black areas on plants that have had the rapid dieback that might be where the bacteria overwinter.

Fire blight was one of the possibility for the infection the trees have been suffering from. There was a couple of other diseases that I thought could be at play as well but I can't recall what they were right at the moment. I've read a few other posts about cotoneaster that people have been having the same issue and there trees don't make it very long either. Some people have basically given up on cotoneaster and I was almost one of them until this one successful growing season. I'm hoping that keeping the trees separated from overly wet and humid conditions during spring time and the fungal spray will keep them healthy.

 

[Jetson1950]

Just found your thread. Sorry to hear about your pup. My daughter’s puppy is going on 13 years now and she is already dreading the day she has to let her go.

I got a cotoneaster back in the spring to try it and was looking for someone I could follow that grows them. I’m in central Florida with lots of fungus issues to deal with, but th cotoneaster seems to be handling them well. I put it in the ground when I got it to thicken it up, so you may be right that they do better in the ground. Only problem I’m having is it doesn’t seem to like our intense sunlight here. The new growth leaves stay folded. Good luck and keep posting. I need a good guide on them.

 

[MMJNICE]

Just found your thread. Sorry to hear about your pup. My daughter’s puppy is going on 13 years now and she is already dreading the day she has to let her go.

I got a cotoneaster back in the spring to try it and was looking for someone I could follow that grows them. I’m in central Florida with lots of fungus issues to deal with, but th cotoneaster seems to be handling them well. I put it in the ground when I got it to thicken it up, so you may be right that they do better in the ground. Only problem I’m having is it doesn’t seem to like our intense sunlight here. The new growth leaves stay folded. Good luck and keep posting. I need a good guide on them.

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Looks like that tree is one of the smaller leaf tree's that tend to handle fungal infections must better. I wish you good luck with it. The cranberry cotoneaster for me seem to be the ones that don't really handle over head watering. BTW don't over head water your cotoneaster just to be on the safe side. If you had it planted since spring time I'm a little worried about the color of the foliage. It does look a little crispy but should be fine I would guess. My cotoneaster in the first picture has taken a turn for the worst unfortunately but I'm pretty sure it's had enough of a decent growing season that it will pull through and will make it to the leaf drop Dormancy Period without Croaking... I'll update later today or tomorrow.

 

[Jetson1950]

Looks like that tree is one of the smaller leaf tree's that tend to handle fungal infections must better. I wish you good luck with it. The cranberry cotoneaster for me seem to be the ones that don't really handle over head watering. BTW don't over head water your cotoneaster just to be on the safe side. If you had it planted since spring time I'm a little worried about the color of the foliage. It does look a little crispy but should be fine I would guess. My cotoneaster in the first picture has taken a turn for the worst unfortunately but I'm pretty sure it's had enough of a decent growing season that it will pull through and will make it to the leaf drop Dormancy Period without Croaking... I'll update later today or tomorrow.

Your choice of words one mine’s leaves is spot on….”crispy”. I think our summer sun here is a bit more than it can handle. All the new leaves that have grown since late spring are folded and much lighter in color than the leaves in the core. And….a little crispy. This winter I will repot it and keep it with my Japanese maples and it should do much better. They stay in an area protected from the direct intense sun.

 

[Manbris]

Does it backbud reliably on older branches?

 

[MMJNICE]

Does it backbud reliably on older branches?

All cotoneaster backbud on old branches usually at the base of each branch very reliably.

 

[Manbris]

All cotoneaster backbud on old branches usually at the base of each branch very reliably.

This was dug out from my yard in Spring - probably bird dropped a seed years ago. Now only one of the three main branches are alive/have new growth - I left it to itself for a few months in a shielded area. Any advice on how to develop it?

Is the black bark mature for cotoneaster - 10-15 years or older? Dead wood a thing for it? and how to do branch reduction? would I just crop it/air layer? or maybe keep it as a big bonsai?

 

[MMJNICE]

This was dug out from my yard in Spring - probably bird dropped a seed years ago. Now only one of the three main branches are alive/have new growth - I left it to itself for a few months in a shielded area. Any advice on how to develop it?

Is the black bark mature for cotoneaster - 10-15 years or older? Dead wood a thing for it? and how to do branch reduction? would I just crop it/air layer? or maybe keep it as a big bonsai?

So deadwood is Definitely a thing but mostly with shari like Partial dead trunks kinda thing. It's a shame all three trunks didn't make it cuzz a Triple trunk would have been cool,, the tree is probably 4 or 5 years old if I was to guess and as far as a decent Design. You would need to get branches lower on the trunk to start a design most of the branches are way to high so unless I want to put back in the ground where it would probably push new branches low on the trunk you could also trunk chop next spring and keep in the pot you have it in so you force it to grow branches lower down. I would put back in the ground if it was mine but put it in a nice sunny spot and feed it heavily.

 

[minkes]

My wife thinks cotoneasters in our garden are for decoration.. She do not know the true reason... THE reason I planted them.. Now just waiting.. Trunks are little bit thicker.. Few of them have wire on.. One day... that day.. ...is comming..
the inevitable is comming..

 

[MMJNICE]

My wife thinks cotoneasters in our garden are for decoration.. She do not know the true reason... THE reason I planted them.. Now just waiting.. Trunks are little bit thicker.. Few of them have wire on.. One day... that day.. ...is comming..
the inevitable is comming..

Hell yea! That's the best way to make something special with cotoneaster trees i find. They thickin really really REALLY well if you use sacrifice branches near the base of the trunk and then cut them off when the run a few feet. Another will take it's place pretty soon. They almost always grow branches where you make a cut because they don't roll over there wounds like a maple. They just grow a new branch and cover the cut with new wood is how they handle it. But do watch for inverse taper because the tendency to grow branches some the same spot leading to swelling is a real issue. I wish you luck on your trees btw and please feel free to post your updates here if you like.

 

[minkes]

I have about 5 cotoneasters planted in the ground for 2-3 years.They are about 1-2 cm thick at the base. What I am doing now is wiring many young shoots to have interesting trunks for future. In spring I will cut them and grow as cuttings. Here are few photos to show, what I mean . Some previosly wired cuttings from this spring are already rooted and growing well in the pot. I will probably put them also into ground for futher thickening.

 

[Adamski77]

My wife thinks cotoneasters in our garden are for decoration.. She do not know the true reason... THE reason I planted them.. Now just waiting.. Trunks are little bit thicker.. Few of them have wire on.. One day... that day.. ...is comming..
the inevitable is comming..

If this would be my wife I would pack some suitcases before taking the shovel