new ume stock

[faker]

Just making a thread to track progress and ask a few questions regarding the ume I picked up a few weeks ago from Maruyama. First trunk segment is unfortunately pretty straight, but the price was too hard to pass up, so I figure I can at least learn on this guy.

It looks like it was field grown and chopped / potted this spring and has since shot out a ton of new growth, continuing to actively grow as we speak.

I want to do some more cutbacks to establish a final trunk line, so I'm wondering when the best time to do this would be... Winter dormancy? Spring pre-flower? Spring post-flower?
In the meantime, there are some areas with 4-5 branches emerging at the same location, would it be safe to reduce these down to 1-2 to avoid any whorls forming?
Should I leave it in the nursery can for another season or try to repot into an anderson flat or similar?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I want to do some more cutbacks to establish a final trunk line, so I'm wondering when the best time to do this would be... Winter dormancy? Spring pre-flower? Spring post-flower?

In the meantime, there are some areas with 4-5 branches emerging at the same location, would it be safe to reduce these down to 1-2 to avoid any whorls forming?

Should I leave it in the nursery can for another season or try to repot into an anderson flat or similar?

This reads like you want a better trunk, but are also considering pruning it back, and repotting. Are you patient or in a hurry to get this into a Bonsai pot?
If you want to rush it into a Bonsai pot, you would need to accept the trunk for what it is and work with it. Can’t tell from these photos if the trunk has enough movement to be interesting.

If you like the trunk, you can start doing some branch pruning now (consider leaving some jins), and repot it into an Anderson or large Bonsai pot next spring. Replace the soil, remove large ugly roots a couple per repot, but don’t remove too many fine roots. Best to wire these in winter after blooming (carefully) or in April/May as the new growth flush is slowing down.

If by “do some more cutbacks to establish a final trunk line”, you mean chop the trunk and grow another section of trunk to improve taper and movement, I wouldn’t prune branches or repot. I’d chop the trunk. Low, like pick the spot and then chop twice as low?. Then let it grow wild for a year, and pick a new leader from the new growth, pruning the rest of the new canes back to 1-2 nodes and keep them short for use later. They will pop back from the trunk, just not always where you want them to.

Here is one I’m working on.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/prunus-mume-stock-from-evergreen-gardenworks.28245/
Every time I chop it back, I’m glad I did. It will take 10-12 years to get in its first Bonsai pot, but when it’s there, it will have an interesting trunk.

 

[faker]

This reads like you want a better trunk, but are also considering pruning it back, and repotting. Are you patient or in a hurry to get this into a Bonsai pot?
If you want to rush it into a Bonsai pot, you would need to accept the trunk for what it is and work with it. Can’t tell from these photos if the trunk has enough movement to be interesting.

If you like the trunk, you can start doing some branch pruning now (consider leaving some jins), and repot it into an Anderson or large Bonsai pot next spring. Replace the soil, remove large ugly roots a couple per repot, but don’t remove too many fine roots. Best to wire these in winter after blooming (carefully) or in April/May as the new growth flush is slowing down.

If by “do some more cutbacks to establish a final trunk line”, you mean chop the trunk and grow another section of trunk to improve taper and movement, I wouldn’t prune branches or repot. I’d chop the trunk. Low, like pick the spot and then chop twice as low?. Then let it grow wild for a year, and pick a new leader from the new growth, pruning the rest of the new canes back to 1-2 nodes and keep them short for use later. They will pop back from the trunk, just not always where you want them to.

Here is one I’m working on.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/prunus-mume-stock-from-evergreen-gardenworks.28245/
Every time I chop it back, I’m glad I did. It will take 10-12 years to get in its first Bonsai pot, but when it’s there, it will have an interesting trunk.

Thanks Brian. Really appreciate the thoughtful response. Seeing your posts about a couple of the ume you have was actually part of what gave me the bug for this species!

I'm in no major hurry with this tree. My first instinct with this would be to chop low. However, in my research I keep reading that you should chop to new growth on an ume as they don't reliably backbud on old wood. Ideally, I'd chop it a few inches from the ground, but with no buds that low, I'd rather not kill it. Not sure if your chops have proven otherwise, but here are two of the options I've considered given the available growth on it at this point:

1: start from the lowest available bud
2: rough virt with branch a bit further up

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You’ll do well with either plan, just a matter of how much time you want to give it. Be sure to post updates.