New stock twin trunk quince

[JudyB]

Well here it is after the deed. I'm going to go with the suggested tilt, it does balance the tree. The right new leader will probably get cut back more, but I like the initial shape it gives me, so maybe not.

 

[tmmason10]

Looks much better in my opinion Judy. Nice work.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Judy, I think the cuts you made are good, but I do not like your proposed vertical trunk orientation, unless you're going for formal upright. Vertical trunks in bonsai look clinical and uninteresting, in my opinion. Because of the straightness of the lower trunk, I think the only way this plant works is at an angle (as before).

 

[JudyB]

You know Stan, when I put the block under it, I thought the same thing. But I re-read the thread, and a post said that the movement would be better if I turned it that way. Maybe I misunderstood the intention of Zach's post, here is what he wrote...

Judy, as I looked at the first photo what jumped out at me was, can the angle of planting be tilted just a bit to the right? I think this might work wonders visually. The tree seems a little off-balance right now, which makes the left-hand trunk look straighter than it is.

So I have to admit that I am perplexed, as tipping it that direction makes it straighter, although it does balance the tree a bit.

In looking at it again, I like it better without the tilt too...

Going to be at least another year before repot...so plenty of time to consider options. I don't know if I'm brave enough for trunk splitters...(don't have any anyway.)

 

[Stan Kengai]

Zach is right, the tree does look a little unbalanced, but I think it has more to do with the basal flare being unbalanced than the angle of the trunks. And I think that if you can get those smaller roots on the left to thicken up, that will take care of it. [Edit: Just looked at the picture again and it appears that there is a fortuitous sprout just waiting to thicken up the left base.]

Trunk splitting is almost always a bold move, and if your plant is rather slow to heal, I'm not sure I would risk it. BUT I think it would make a huge improvement to separate the trunks a bit because any additional girth is only going to bring them even closer together. That's a heavy decision, for sure. I would suggest cutting a sacrifice you don't need in June just to see if it will heal over faster when summer cut, rather than winter. If it does heal nicely in summer, at least you know when to split the trunks.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This one is on my bench right now. Looking at chopping back to the next branch down on the left trunk, on the front side. I think that is the right thing, as the chop now is UUUUGLY.

I notice that the wounds on this tree don't act in the same manner as most of my trees. I must be doing something wrong when I do these cuts. They don't seem to form a callus around the chop.
I would like to know if there is a trick to doing chops on this, so I can do this one correctly. Perhaps these just don't heal as easily as most of the trees I'm used to. Even the one behind the new right trunk leader isn't really healing, although it has lots of good growth around it.

I will have to cut this with a lopper or saw, too big for concave cutters...

Nice job. Consider making the cut a little steeper (more acute) on the back to improve the transition.

They do form calluses, just slower, and they roll up pretty thick, so be sure to carve the chop fairly concave to make room for the knobby callus when it rolls. In a pot it will be slower to heal.

When the callus forms, it will form heavier at the top of the cut first.

 

[JudyB]

[Edit: Just looked at the picture again and it appears that there is a fortuitous sprout just waiting to thicken up the left base.]

I've been keeping that sprout just for this purpose, and to move those roots along. I let it grow all year....

I'm going to use trunk splitting as a last resort. This doesn't heal fast, and I like this tree too much to kill it.

 

[JudyB]

Nice job. Consider making the cut a little steeper (more acute) on the back to improve the transition.

They do form calluses, just slower, and they roll up pretty thick, so be sure to carve the chop fairly concave to make room for the knobby callus when it rolls. In a pot it will be slower to heal.

When the callus forms, it will form heavier at the top of the cut first.

The old cuts have a lot of dead wood above the live cambium. I'll have to take a photo to show you what I mean. These were chops that were done before I got it, and I'm not sure how to clean them up. Maybe carve them out? I'll post pic tomorrow.
Thanks!

 

[dick benbow]

I have two chinese quince. one in a pot and one in the ground. Mine are both relatively young so they have never bloomed. But the bark is always interesting. I have so many japanese flowering quince in pots and in the ground that i have lost count. The love of my qunices is the chojubai. favorite style is kabudachi (clump). both my white and reds are showing a few blooms
already. At the entrance to my japanese garden I have a brocaded quince ( toyo nishiki) over 75 years old
that came from japan. it blooms all three colors ( red,white, pink)

Judy, a good magazine to acquire is the international bonsai from 1999, issue one. Indepth articles on training and air layering for chinese quinces.

 

[JudyB]

Thanks Dick, I will add that to my reading list.

I hope someday to have a chojubai. I like what I see of them, but have never seen one in person.

 

[fore]

Nice job. Consider making the cut a little steeper (more acute) on the back to improve the transition.

They do form calluses, just slower, and they roll up pretty thick, so be sure to carve the chop fairly concave to make room for the knobby callus when it rolls. In a pot it will be slower to heal.

When the callus forms, it will form heavier at the top of the cut first.

My impression is the same for Larches. Not the slow part, but the knobby large callous it forms over chops. I've had to recarve twice already as I didn't go deep enough the first time.

And Judy, instead of splitting the trunks, I've seen the use of chop sticks used to separate trunks/branches. Is this a possibility?

 

[JudyB]

Chop stick method? Never heard of it, but I'd be willing to try a safe method of moving them apart at the start a bit. Can you tell me what this method entails? I have chopsticks!

What I'm sort of hoping for is a bud a bit lower, and if I get one, I'll chop again. If that happens, then I'll be able to get a wider gap sooner, which may solve that issue.

 

[Si Nguyen]

Looking good!

 

[JudyB]

I didn't think this one put on as much growth as it has until I went back to check the last photos posted! Wow, these are fun to watch develop.
I just did a wiring yesterday, and found the angle that suits the trunks best. I think that instead of a real twin this is becoming more of a broom, which is fine with me. It still has a flavor of the twin, but I'm allowing more sub-trunks to develop. From this angle and with the new growth that I've angled away the negative space between the two main trunks is better. I do see from the photos I just looked at, that the lower left branch wants to go more upright, the low swoop looks out of place. The small branch at the base is just pulled out of the way, it'll be allowed to strengthen the base for a couple more years. I wonder if I should cut this back any to keep it from forming too large of a scar? I know that a bud would pop there again even if I cut it all the way off...

Comments welcome!

 

[dick benbow]

off to a good start. was curious if you had dug down around the roots to see what might be available to add to it's appeal. I have one in the ground I've been growing on for the past coupla years as well as one in the process of being air layered. love the bark

 

[JudyB]

off to a good start. was curious if you had dug down around the roots to see what might be available to add to it's appeal. I have one in the ground I've been growing on for the past coupla years as well as one in the process of being air layered. love the bark

Hi Dick,
Yes there is some interest below the soil, I'm going to pull it up in the spring and see what is cooking. I think it'll need a few more years. I love that bark too.

 

[JudyB]

update

Well it's coming along. I'm so glad I chopped back more than originally. I'm finding that I'm much happier when I just do the bold move the first time. I will probably reduce this a bit more once it looses the last leaves.

I think given time, this can be a decent little tree. It sure is fun.
First pic is where I started with it...

 

[Neli]

very inspiring Judy. Thank You!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Looking good, I like where this is headed.

 

[bonsaibp]

You do have the eye Judy. This is going to be nice.