Natural Looking Quince?

I got some J. Quince seedlings (that have already shot out sprouts so it's downstairs in the unfin. basement). I'm going to keep them downstairs until I can repot them later this spring. Now, all 4 are in one 2 3/4" pot in Turface.

My question is, most of the Quince pre-bonsai and bonsai that I've seen are quite weirdly shaped, but I've seen less freq. formal and un-formal upright trees. What's the true 'shape' of Quinces. A google search of J. Q. pics shows mostly flowers, and a few " " " trees. But in the bonsai world, that's where I've seen some crazy looking trees.

I plan to put 2 in the ground and 2 in pots. I'd like to put wire on to establish the basic trunk movement. But I'm not sure exactly how to style them given the variance I've seen. I like to style trees that reflect their natural appearance,

So any suggestions or pictures are greatly appreciated!

Chris

This assuming that you mean Japanese with your "J. Quince". I think the natural form of it is clump style. If you want to really find out...just leave the plant on the ground untended.

Clump eh? I'd not have guessed that as the seedlings are growing like whips right now. Come to think about it, I have seen sev. pics of Quince bushes in people's yards. Thanks Poink88. I think putting them in the ground and let it go is a good idea. I'll just keep it pruned so it doesn't kill lower branches with time.

Here is a neglected quince I collected recently. The pot (dish pan) is a bit over 12" long.

Fore

Quinces have a strong tendency to sucker from the root crown and from the roots themselves, in time this yields a multi stemmed bush. In Quince bonsai culture its desirable to grow out one or two main thick stems and keep all the suckers pruned out, unless your going for a clump style Quince which is often seen as well.

-Jay

That's a huge clump Poink88! Thanks for posting the pic. Look forward to seeing what you do with it

Jay, Poink88's tree is a perfect example of a typical clump style. I'm glad to hear that Quince 'in the bonsai culture', typ. grows out one or two trunks. Personally, I like that better than a clump style. Just a matter of preference.

Thanks for the help everyone!
Chris

Fore wrote:That's a huge clump Poink88! Thanks for posting the pic. Look forward to seeing what you do with it

Jay, Poink88's tree is a perfect example of a typical clump style. I'm glad to hear that Quince 'in the bonsai culture', typ. grows out one or two trunks. Personally, I like that better than a clump style. Just a matter of preference.

Thanks for the help everyone!
Chris

No no Fore its YOU that keeps the Quince at one or two trunks as you grow and style the tree for Bonsai. Left to its own devices the Quince will most likely style itself as a clump. J. Quince grow slowly and it took me a good few years of digging around at garden centers until i finally found ONE that had a nice single trunk and good surface roots.
-Jay

Jay,

What variety of quince did you wind up with?

coh wrote:Jay,

What variety of quince did you wind up with?

Iwai nishiki, with the large red double blossom. Really looking forward to the display this year as the tree itself is finally potted and was hard pruned last fall. I have to fight taking it out of storage early and enjoying the blossoms indoors.

-Jay

kabudachi (multiple trunks) is what the japanese call the natural clumping style of quince. I prefer them designed this way as i feel you have so much more for bloom opportunities on multiple trunks. they look fuller and it seems to take forever to get single trunks to any size and your constantly fighting suckers. But I like your idea to try a couple of each , that way you'll learn for yourself which one you prefer looking at and which one meshes with your efforts to style it. I let mine bloom strongly about one in three years. The other two years I might allow growth for one year and another year for a few fruits to mature.

Thanks Dick and Jay! And your variety Jay sounds beautiful! I didn't know garden centers sold those, I didn't see any at Home Depot this spring here in Chicago. But I'll keep my eyes open and maybe try a nursery or two. In the meantime, I have my little seedlings lol

But since I saw that other thread about Quinces, a real beauty too btw, and said they prefer fall repots, or in spring after leaf bud. Well, that's where I am right now, 1/2" buds already. It's still too cold to plant them outside. So I'm thinking of just putting them in pots for this yr. right now, wire them, and let them grow as whips for trunk development this growing season. Then next yr, hopefully with a cold enough winter to keep it dormant, I'll put the two in the ground. Does this sound like a good plan guys?

Chris

Chris,

Here are some references for you to check out. (copy pasted from a post I made on another quince thread)

Try downloading this PDF

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEIQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.internationalbonsai.com%2Ffiles%2F1708315%2Fuploaded%2Fflowering_quince_article.pdf&ei=0qYyT4ibHKThsQLhhaH-Bg&usg=AFQjCNEsAP8Z7Duj8TleNoeA1lKJ75YyGA&sig2=ZXn1iZB-XWbb6f27HndHUw

Also try these links:
http://www.absolutebonsai.com/quince_bonsai
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Chaenomeles.html

"Pruning and wiring: Fruiting and flowering can sap the plant's energy dramatically, so it is wise to limit the amount by picking off developing fruit and flower buds, especially in young bonsai. Flowering quince likes to sucker from the roots. Suckers should be removed if a thich trunk is desired; however, thick trunks can be difficult to achieve, especially in some popular C. japonica cultivars such as 'Chojubai.' These plants are most often grown in clump style. Some species may need to be cut back hard to encourage branch formation. New shoots should be cut back to 1-2 leaves after 5-7 leaves have formed, which may be as often as every two weeks in a vigorous plant. Chaenomeles can be wired from spring through the end of summer, leaving the wire on for up to four months, and can be repeated yearly."

Fore

You're not likely to find Quince at a box store as they tend to be a bit pricey. Look to specialty/landscaping nurseries early in spring and move fast as they will invariably sell out of them. Or contact Brent Walston at Evergreen Garden Works. He has nice sizes and variety, Bill Valavanis is also offering quince in his bare root catalog this year.

I wouldn't wire seedlings, just let them grow in the ground and establish themselves for a year or two.
-Jay

I read those Poink88, great information that I bookmarked. But this winter has thrown the whole natural cycle off key so I need to know if my planting plan is a good route to go given that the seedlings are growing like weeds right now.

Fore wrote:I read those Poink88, great information that I bookmarked. But this winter has thrown the whole natural cycle off key so I need to know if my planting plan is a good route to go given that the seedlings are growing like weeds right now.

When your clear of your last "usual" frost date and the ground is workable, transplant them out. Might want to harden them off a bit to get them used to direct sunlight as they have been pampered under indoor conditions. They'll be fine!

-Jay

Jay, now that explains why I haven't seen them at hd or menards lol We've got a couple of nice nurseries to check out at least.

Also, Thanks for the planting advice!! I really appreciate it as I wasn't sure how to proceed. Great to hear I can repot now, and later put two in the ground. Saves me an entire growing season! And Thanks too for telling me not to wire at first, I would've made a big mistake

I'm pretty sure I've seen the occasional quince at Lowes/Home Depot type places...not too often, though!

Really Chris? I know there's a huge variance in what various HD's carry from state to state. For example, by far, Ca. HD's carried ton's of diff. tree's, bushes, shade cloth, and even like 5 diff. moss species. Here in IL, the plant selection even at the big stores, carry much less biodiversity, no shade cloth at all (which dumbfounded me!) and no moss. Those are just a few examples. Sounds like your NY stores are better, lucky you

Some years they carry lots of different plants, other years it's just the basic stuff (I guess it depends on what people are buying). And every so often a shipping "mistake" brings some unusual plants as well. Maybe the quinces I've see were "mistakes"!