Where to buy chojubai?

[Pitoon]

Brussels, Bonsai Outlet, Wigert's...

Only Brussels has them in stock already wired and planted. Keep in mind to get them to that size takes a LONG TIME. You are not really buying the plant per say....... you are buying the time you saved to get them to that point.

Do you have any chojubai yourself?

 

[badatusernames]

Brussels, Bonsai Outlet, Wigert's...

I just looked at the prices on Brussels and am realizing how lucky I got this year, haha

I wouldn't mind seeing this in person, because I have a hard time believing it's 34" from trunk to apex. maybe horizontally? $550 seems to be a LOT to be asking for this based on the ones I've picked up.

 

[Pitoon]

I just looked at the prices on Brussels and am realizing how lucky I got this year, haha

I wouldn't mind seeing this in person, because I have a hard time believing it's 34" from trunk to apex. maybe horizontally? $550 seems to be a LOT to be asking for this based on the ones I've picked up.

I would love to see what you picked up. Care to post?

 

[Enfield Snapper]

I just looked at the prices on Brussels and am realizing how lucky I got this year, haha

I wouldn't mind seeing this in person, because I have a hard time believing it's 34" from trunk to apex. maybe horizontally? $550 seems to be a LOT to be asking for this based on the ones I've picked up.

It's more likely it was supposed to say 3.4". Chojubai don't get much taller than about a foot.

 

[badatusernames]

I would love to see what you picked up. Care to post?

sure! this was $50, i killed the left trunk tho



and then this was $75 i think

 

[badatusernames]

double

 

[badatusernames]

here’s the one that lost the trunk now, i’m just gonna forget about it and let it grow

 

[Pitoon]

here’s the one that lost the trunk now, i’m just gonna forget about it and let it grow

View attachment 387440

Nice finds for sure! The first one in the white crackle pot looks for sure chojubai. Not to sure on the second one though the leaves look just to big. Either way good finds on your part!

 

[badatusernames]

Nice finds for sure! The first one in the white crackle pot looks for sure chojubai. Not to sure on the second one though the leaves look just to big. Either way good finds on your part!

Yeah I've been wondering myself, to be honest. I've been fertilizing it like crazy this summer with lots of Grow Power, which has a good hit of nitrogen, and I was wondering if that was playing a role. I knew they had a reputation for being able to take a lot of nutrients and I wanted to see what happened if I pushed it, since I'm mostly concerned with growing it out at this stage. So I don't know if perhaps that's playing a role in what is happening, too.

I would say that it is growing faster than I would have expected from a plant that people say grows slowly, and my guess is that I'm not the first person to try going hog on one with fertilizer, so maybe it isn't.

 

[coltranem]

sure! this was $50, i killed the left trunk tho

View attachment 387436

and then this was $75 i think

View attachment 387437

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$50 at Bonsai West? I was there last week and I think similar sizes were double that.

 

[River's Edge]

They grow slow even with quality care! This is a group of cutting grown material. larger cuttings are in 1 gallon containers. Trunk size is 1/2 inch and they are pruned to about 12 inches tall. The larger size are 6 years from 3 inch cuttings. Some are being trained in single upright form which thickens the trunk faster than allowing typical clump growth!The cultivar is dwarf Chojubai, red flower with rough grey bark. One of the slower growers amongst the cultivars.

 

[Pitoon]

They grow slow even with quality care! This is a group of cutting grown material. larger cuttings are in 1 gallon containers. Trunk size is 1/2 inch and they are pruned to about 12 inches tall. The larger size are 6 years from 3 inch cuttings. Some are being trained in single upright form which thickens the trunk faster than allowing typical clump growth!View attachment 387441View attachment 387442The cultivar is dwarf Chojubai, red flower with rough grey bark. One of the slower growers amongst the cultivars.

Good looking chojubai there Frank. Are those your mother plants?

The issue is shops/people selling red flowering quince as chojubai when they actually aren't. People see a cheap price and the name and jump all over it as they know no difference.

Only when you grow them and other flowering quince along side you can immediately notice the difference in leaf size and growth rate.

 

[badatusernames]

$50 at Bonsai West? I was there last week and I think similar sizes were double that.

no, that one wasn’t bonsai west

 

[River's Edge]

Good looking chojubai there Frank. Are those your mother plants?

The issue is shops/people selling red flowering quince as chojubai when they actually aren't. People see a cheap price and the name and jump all over it as they know no difference.

Only when you grow them and other flowering quince along side you can immediately notice the difference in leaf size and growth rate.

The three larger pots contain the original cuttings. I prefer the grey rough bark cultivar. I love the appearance, however it is a slow growing plant in terms of creating thickness. The growth is impressive with lengthy extensions but thickness is very slow incrementally in proportion to extension of shoots. They can be pruned two or three times a year for extension.
Chojubai purchased from several sources proved to be disappointing in leaf size, flower and bark. As much as I hate to advise this, it is best to get cuttings or material from a reliable, trusted source. Otherwise one can waste many years growing out something that is not what you thought it was. Particularly if you do not have a reliable plant to compare characteristics with as they develop.

 

[Maiden69]

Only Brussels has them in stock already wired and planted. Keep in mind to get them to that size takes a LONG TIME. You are not really buying the plant per say....... you are buying the time you saved to get them to that point.

Do you have any chojubai yourself?

I don't have any chojubai. I have 4 Scarffs Red Japanese Quince. I really didn't like flowering trees at all, then I found this site. I talked to Brent about it, but he told me that the one I liked was hard to grow in very hot climates. At the time I was living within San Antonio city limits and it's very hot in that area. I moved to the outskirts on the northwest side and it is a bit cooler here so I decided to buy regular quince to see how they develop before buying the cultivar. I also ordered an azalea, it was advertised as a satsuki, but I am not sure... it's a Nuccio's Wild Cherry azalea.

I agree with the notion that the price you pay is for the amount of time they "invest" in training them... but for example, that $500 tree posted by @badatusernames is immorally expensive. Seriously, that quince looks like a layered branch planted on a rock with a puff of moss added on top. I know I don't have anything right now that looks like a finished tree, but I think that prices are being driven through the roof because of the amount of people that have found the hobby because of the lockdown. Now, you get one of those 6 year old trees frank posted and pot them in flower and I may think we are getting close to the asking price.

One thing that I liked about David Cortizas, and something he got a lot of flack about it was that he expressed that it was ridiculous for sellers to sell native grown trees at the price that imports were being sold. He explained all the expenses he had to pay in order to import trees into Spain, from the price paid to the nursery, to the Japanese inspector, shipping and handling, import duties and royalties in Spain. That adds up to the total price. So a tree that costs $500 in Japan, after all added costs may end up costing $750-850 moved into Spain, add mark up and the tree will be sold for $1000. But if said tree was developed in Spain, by a good bonsai stylist... why charge $1000, when the real price of the tree is around $500?

 

[Colorado]

They grow slow even with quality care! This is a group of cutting grown material. larger cuttings are in 1 gallon containers. Trunk size is 1/2 inch and they are pruned to about 12 inches tall. The larger size are 6 years from 3 inch cuttings. Some are being trained in single upright form which thickens the trunk faster than allowing typical clump growth!View attachment 387441View attachment 387442The cultivar is dwarf Chojubai, red flower with rough grey bark. One of the slower growers amongst the cultivars.

Frank, you’ve been holding out on us! those look great! That is what I’m aiming for in 5-10 years.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

@Colorado PM me, I have a couple legit red Chojubai cuttings that I’d be willing to sell.

 

[River's Edge]

Frank, you’ve been holding out on us! those look great! That is what I’m aiming for in 5-10 years.

It is unfortunate the border creates so many issues with permits and inspections, not too mention rules against which species are allowed to travel. My stock is growing slowly Most of my clients prefer something more substantial in the five to ten year range at a minimum. I am working towards a couple for my personal collection and providing a reliable source for the local market.

 

[River's Edge]

Frank, you’ve been holding out on us! those look great! That is what I’m aiming for in 5-10 years.

PS: I do hope all those acquiring cuttings are aware that they will stay healthy and grow best in larger containers with less frequent repotting. Quince are best grown out in larger containers to begin with in order to establish the proper root ball before transferring to smaller bonsai pots. I keep seeing cuttings placed in small bonsai pots after purchase and it makes me cringe! That is a simple way to create problems and slow everything down considerably. Ask the growers what works for quince if you are questioning what to do?

For example I start my cuttings in 4 inch pots, two years later I switch to half gallon pots and two years later one gallon pots. The next stage is 3 gallon pots until desired specimen size is obtained. Then the process begins to reverse working down to suitable size Bonsai pot for the particular style, whether clump or single trunk.
just thought I would throw that out there and save a few people some time and heartache.
The reasoning is that they are sensitive to root work, prefer moister conditions, resent drying out and take longer to establish refined root systems. Once they are larger, healthier plants the extra foliage mass makes recovery from root work easier.
This does not stop one from pruning and developing shape while growing out the tree. in fact with quince that is important to stay on top of as they ramify quickly and frequent clipping and wiring is a good way to prevent having to make major cuts and start over. Quince can also die back considerably with major cuts so that is not a preferred approach for development.
For those who like a good debate, I am not saying you cannot use the other approach, just that I think it is more time consuming, and trickier for this cultivar.

 

[Maiden69]

Frank, would placing several plants in a single 1 gal container allow for a quicker development of a single specimen? I have 3 plants that were bought in 4" pots. I already moved them into 1 gal Rootpouch bag and placed them in a grow bed with mulch surrounding the sides instead of dirt.