The Flying Dragon

[Mellow Mullet]

After the storms rolled through today, I managed to squeeze a little tree time in. I decided to work on a couple of Poncirus trifoliata "contorta", aka, the Flying Dragon, that I have been growing for several years. With a name like that, who wouldn't want one? These were grown from seed by my dad from the fruit of a tree that he has. It is interesting in that when growing from seed, about 60% percent of the seedlings are not contorted and the rest are. Working on these is not fun, the thorns are brutal! Wiring is painful and difficult. I mostly use clip and grow and guy wires.

Before:



A size comparison on the thorns.



After some clean up



After looking at it, I decided that the lowest branch needed to go. I was keeping it in hopes that it would help to thicken the lower trunk, but it wasn't. After taking it off, I wired the next branch down and over a little bit to fill the space.

 

[penumbra]

I just got a couple of these that are grafts. The grafts are pretty clean. I am excited about training them once they grow out a bit.

 

[0soyoung]

I had one of those!
It only took me 3 years to kill it, but it was a thing of beauty (how I made it suffer).

Others left at the nursery where I bought it didn't survive as long as mine. So I have no idea what I did right/wrong or just what about my climate was so bad for it.

Anyway, I thought it would look great with exposed roots - neagari, I mean. And that was the end of it (it's roots were completely exposed when I discarded its carcass).

I just got a couple of these that are grafts. The grafts are pretty clean. I am excited about training them once they grow out a bit.

That seems odd. My understanding is that these are a common root stock for other citrus.

 

[penumbra]

I had a landscape customer several years ago that had one about 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. I think it had been planted in the 1940s. This was in Virginia, zone 6 but close to zone 5. She hated the plant and I am pretty sure she had the tree guys rip it out.

 

[JoeR]

After the storms rolled through today, I managed to squeeze a little tree time in. I decided to work on a couple of Poncirus trifoliata "contorta", aka, the Flying Dragon, that I have been growing for several years. With a name like that, who wouldn't want one? These were grown from seed by my dad from the fruit of a tree that he has. It is interesting in that when growing from seed, about 60% percent of the seedlings are not contorted and the rest are. Working on these is not fun, the thorns are brutal! Wiring is painful and difficult. I mostly use clip and grow and guy wires.

Before:

View attachment 224013

A size comparison on the thorns.

View attachment 224014

After some clean up

View attachment 224015

After looking at it, I decided that the lowest branch needed to go. I was keeping it in hopes that it would help to thicken the lower trunk, but it wasn't. After taking it off, I wired the next branch down and over a little bit to fill the space.

View attachment 224016

I’ve considered using this species often over the years, ever since I first saw it at the N.C. zoo. They have tons of very large, beautiful ones planted around there. In fact I broke a branch off one and stuck it in an empty water bottle and brought it home (wrong I know, this was many years ago) and ever since then it’s just remained a very well rooted cutting. Hasn’t grown more leaves, but there’s plenty of roots.

Anyway, that’s a looker you got there. Hope it works well for you. The fruit are nice and edible I believe.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I’ve considered using this species often over the years, ever since I first saw it at the N.C. zoo. They have tons of very large, beautiful ones planted around there. In fact I broke a branch off one and stuck it in an empty water bottle and brought it home (wrong I know, this was many years ago) and ever since then it’s just remained a very well rooted cutting. Hasn’t grown more leaves, but there’s plenty of roots.

Anyway, that’s a looker you got there. Hope it works well for you. The fruit are nice and edible I believe.

Thanks! The fruit is not very good. The "oranges" are small and full of seeds (25-30) and it is very sour, more like a lemon. It is good if you slice it in half and toss into your water. I have heard of people making marmalade out of the peel.

 

[j evans]

With thorns like that I wouldn't have any hands left. Those are bad!

 

[Forsoothe!]

You can't start wiring too early. Heavier wood responds like boxwood, only worse. You ratchet it down with a guy wire for 3 months and spoiing! it pops right back.

 

[milehigh_7]

I've always wanted one of these and wondered how they would look in pots. Thanks for showing!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

You can't start wiring too early. Heavier wood responds like boxwood, only worse. You ratchet it down with a guy wire for 3 months and spoiing! it pops right back.

I have found that fairly large branches can be moved with guy wires, in one season. New growth is very fragile, you need to let it harden a little before wiring, if not it will pop right off in you hand. But, you are right, the sooner the better.

 

[Tieball]

Whoa! Those are some nasty thorns. Do they dry during the season....and basically turn into curved nails? Clip and grow looks like a good idea....mighty fine decision.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Only the tips of the thorns dry out, and they are nasty stingers.
Poncirus might be the toughest citrus variety I know of. Cuttings always root, can go without water for months, hardy as a rock.
I'm using them as root stock (with limited success) but I prefer the regular version, the flying dragon grows a lot slower.

 

[JoeH]

I had one of those! View attachment 224018
It only took me 3 years to kill it, but it was a thing of beauty (how I made it suffer).

Others left at the nursery where I bought it didn't survive as long as mine. So I have no idea what I did right/wrong or just what about my climate was so bad for it.

Anyway, I thought it would look great with exposed roots - neagari, I mean. And that was the end of it (it's roots were completely exposed when I discarded its carcass).


That seems odd. My understanding is that these are a common root stock for other citrus.

They are a very common rootstock for citrus, I find it hard to believe anyone would bother grafting it.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I enjoyed your blog...I'm thinking years back...this was the species that intrigued and scared the crap out of me at a nursery about two hours from me. Occasionally I think of that tree. Curious what it was...this surely was it.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I enjoyed your blog...I'm thinking years back...this was the species that intrigued and scared the crap out of me at a nursery about two hours from me. Occasionally I think of that tree. Curious what it was...this surely was it.

You should get one! They are fun, and really tough. Also cold hardy, don't know if the are your kinda cold hardy, but these two saw snow twice last winter and survived with not adverse effects.

John

 

[Cadillactaste]

You should get one! They are fun, and really tough. Also cold hardy, don't know if the are your kinda cold hardy, but these two saw snow twice last winter and survived with not adverse effects.

John

I think it was zoned 6... Controlled greenhouse could manage. But it was very cool. But years ago I seen it. Like scary awed...

 

[Forsoothe!]

I'm in 6b and I have one in my landscape. I root cutting outdoors under jars. They are slow growing, as in growing cuttings for 3+ years where started. They ARE hard to style in spite of the great built-in features. After some early training for basic architecture, it's easy to revert to cut-and-grow for self-defense. They can be held over winter indoors (greenhouse), but just like all the rest of hardy plants that will take that, they are not as vigorous the following growing season.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Not an update on the OP tree, I may have killed it on the ropot, too much root work. It is clinging to life in ICU right now. Here is its little brother, it survived its repot, both were grown form seed:

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

It might be a comforting thought that I have two flying dragons that haven't been cared for in a year. Maybe I've watered them once a month at most. One cutting survived a year without roots and foliage.
If it's not brown, it's still alive.

 

[Vance Wood]

You can't start wiring too early. Heavier wood responds like boxwood, only worse. You ratchet it down with a guy wire for 3 months and spoiing! it pops right back.

I confess that I know nothing of the species but I know a lot about bonsai technique over all and it is not surprising that it will pop right back after 3 months. It has been my experience over sixty years of growing bonsai that it takes at least 6 months to a year for a branch manipulated into position to keep that shape.