Flowering quince

[banksia]

G'day everyone
I collected this shrub about 2 years ago and
up until now have just let it run and then pruned it back hard mid growing season in the hope of flowering the following year. Unfortunately it's yet to happen.
Has anyone got any advice on a particular feeding regime (brand specific)
...and anything else that may help?

Cheers in advance
Anthony

[SueBee]

I have a flowering quince in the ground for four years still with no flowers and it is now 2mt wide by 2 high...so maybe they take a while to flower - mine may be in too much shade as it is overhung by prunus.

[Matthew]

Mine in the garden flowers hard each year. 4m x1 5 . I treat it like a hedge and prune regularly . Got a clump part seperate i will dig out this winter for bonsai cultivation. They like water

[shibui]

Generally flowering bonsai produce better flowers when fed well. Flowers particularly need more K (potash) so use a fertiliser formulated for flowering or fruiting plants (tomato, citrus, rose, etc). Don't worry your quince won't be able to read the label so it won't know you haven't used quince fertiliser.
Suitable conditions are also needed for plants to flower well. They need to be healthy and strong to cope with the stresses of reproduction so appropriate light, water temps and nutrients are needed before plants have the capacity to flower. I guess you could look at it as no use bringing kids into the world unless conditions are suitable for them to thrive Sue has already proposed that as a probable problem with the one in her garden.

Another issue with flowering plants is when and where they produce flowers. We often prune off all the potential buds when trimming our bonsai. Plants that flower on the tips of the shoots in spring must not be pruned after January if you want flowers the following spring. Plants like apples and hawthorns need to produce fruiting spurs which will then flower each year even when new shoots are trimmed regularly.

Plants also need to be mature to reproduce. Most are capable of flowering quite young but some species like wisteria are notorious for not flowering before 7 or more years old. Most flowering quinces are grown as cuttings or divisions so they should already be mature enough to flower. Mine generally flower even from the first year in a pot.

My advice for this flowering quince would be to make sure conditions are the best possible - plenty of light and regular fertiliser (flowering type after mid summer) and a bit less trimming in autumn and see what happens. Plenty of water as Matthew has pointed out. Mine are the first to start drooping on a hot day.

[treeman]

What shibui says applies to quince. There is further information here: viewtopic.php?f=132&t=23892&hilit=+quince

[banksia]

Cheers guys!
I'll take all that on board...and hopefully follow up next year
with some pics of flowering