AusBonsai

Nice work Jow, the cut back was essential and the tree will be much improved for it. I think to build detailed ramification with these shrubs will take you many years.
Craigw
ps the pot is great and your right there was heaps of them around 15-20 years ago and they were quite cheap to

Yeah, I really like the pot. I have been lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time and have managed to pick up quite a few similar sized pots from this era. They are all so beautiful!

As for building ramification, I think you are right. It will be a long journey but I am hoping that due to the vigour of this species it might be faster than the slower varieties such as 'chojubai'. I guess time will tell.

Thanks for the comments.

Hi Jow, It could be that the ramification on this one will take longer than chojubai. the reason I say this is that on the large forms of chaenomeles the new grow is very straight and strong so you will need to cut it harder and more often in order to get those little curves in the trunks and of course for twigs. Time will tell.
Craigw

Well, its been two years so about time for an update. The large middle two turnks got boarer into their dead wood which killed them off before i caught them. Im not really phased by that because i like the fine growth much better. It is in desperate need of a full wire now which i can hopefully get on with this winter.

I have been having caterpiller issues this year, so today i did a partial defoliation to remove effected growth and let more light in to encourage back budding.

I cant wait to get some wire onto this!
Before the work.

Most of the growth has concentrated groups of 5ish leaves in clumps around the branches. This provides good places for insects to hide and stops light getting into the inner growth as you can see from the above photo.
A clump of leaves from one area.
Leaves reduced (it looks like there is actually more on the tree as some leaves from a branch behind are visable.)

A lot more light should get into the canopy now.
When it comes time to wire i will cut back the growth quite hard again to try to force some more ramification.

Thoughts?
Is anyone else playing with this species?

This is mine, Jow, I've had it for far too long, but only got it into a bonsai pot last spring.
I haven't wired it, and the "clip and grow" has been more like "hack and ignore". They don't ramify well, but repeated clips give good natural angular movement. I tend to pinch back to about 4 or five leaves in summer, to promote flowering, but I haven't had profuse flowering yet. They seem to resent any drying out at all in summer - next spring, few flowers. I put rose fertilizer on them from now on.

Best of luck. For a strong clump style, I think they're under-rated.

Gavin

I like it Gavin!

Lookn good Jow !!! Yep you wanna get wire onto it while it still moves !!!

anttal63 wrote:Lookn good Jow !!! Yep you wanna get wire onto it while it still moves !!!

Totally agree, once the cast is off im into it!

Gets better each time you post it!

Gavin, not sure how big yours is but I can see a great shohin hiding in there!

I'm playing with some, but they are in the ground "clumping" themselves for a few years. I think Australia needs some metre wide quince bonsai!