5INTERNATIONAL BONSAI2006/NO. 1

DEVELOPINGJAPANESE FLOWERING QUINCE

MINIATURE BONSAIILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES FOR CREATING BONSAI NO. 109

Editor’s Note: This article has been reprintedwith the permission of Kiyoshi Orito, ofSeibundo-Shinkosha Publishing Company.Itfirst appeared in the Illustrated Guidelines ForFlowering And Fruiting Miniature Bonsai,edited by Garden Life Magazine in Japanesein 1976. The article has been edited and

Japanese Edition:Keizo Tachibana, Author

English Edition:Craig W. Risser, TranslatorWm. N. Valavanis, Editor

takes it name from the fact that itwill begin to flower and bloom asearly as the New Year through Marchif given just a little warmth. There isa red flower as well as white colorcultivars. Those are the most com-mon flower colors but in additionthere is a cultivar which has flowersdappled with red and white as wellas a variety which has flowers whichbegin white and gradually turn pink.

How To PropagateJapanese flowering quince is normallypropagated from rooted cuttings.

They may also be propagated by airlayering as well as purchased asyoung seedlings and modified.

They are most commonly styledin the informal upright style.Seedlings which are sold are ratherstocky with informal shapes. Next inpopularity is the clump style whichmakes use of the growth habit ofJapanese flowering quince. This isthe form which is indeed the bonsaistyle most appropriate for Japaneseflowering quince.

The Japanese flowering quince,Chaenomeles speciosa, which provides much needed color on bonsai stands during the winter is afamiliar, appealing plant which isalso easy to grow. Though it does nothave the elegance of the Japaneseflowering apricot, there are manyvarieties and the colors of its flowersvary widely making it a popularspecies for bonsai and for miniaturebonsai as well.

Japanese Flowering Quince VarietiesWinter Japanese flowering quince

translated for our readers.The original article described the tech-

niques for creating miniature bonsai usingJapanese flowering quince. However, theidentical techniques can also be applied toother Flowering quince species as well as tobonsai of larger sizes.

FIG. 1Select Branches With Interesting Shapes For Stem Cuttings In Late February

FIG. 2Soil For Large Diameter Cuttings

Make cuttings 11/2

to 21/2” in length

Remove flower buds

Cutting For Cascade Style Bonsai

Pencilsize

Cutting For Slanting Style Bonsai

Soil level

3/4 - 11/4”

3/4 - 11/4”

Cut endsdiagonally

Make a long and short diagonalcut on each cutting

Wind

Wind blowscutting over

Use heavy or old soil forlarge diameter cuttings

Correct

Incorrect

Light new soil

6 INTERNATIONAL BONSAI2006/NO. 1

First Year– Rooting Japanese Flowering Quince Cuttings

FIG. 5Plant Cuttings In Pots With Trees

Wire the future cuttings accord-ingly before actually removing themfrom the parent tree to root. Bewatchful not to let the wire cut intothe bark.

Prepare Cutting Flat And PlantingCuttings Use a styrofoam box normally usedfor sowing seed for a cutting flatwhich is thirty inches long, thirty

How To Prepare CuttingsWire the portions of the Japaneseflowering quince that you wish touse for cuttings the year before taking cuttings and give them a general shaping. That is to say, havea general idea in your mind whetheryou want to create an informalupright, slanting, twin trunk or semi-cascade style bonsai in the distant future.

inches wide and three inches deep.Place one-half inch particles of redloam on the bottom of the flat andon top of that add one-quarter inchparticles of red loam. Make holes inthe soil with a bamboo chopstickwhich is narrower than the cuttingsand insert the base of the cutting intothe hole. Space the holes so theleaves of adjacent plants will not betouching when leaves come out.

FIG. 7Place Cuttings Outside In Early April

FIG. 6Bud Break & Initial Root Activity In Late March

FIG. 4Plant Cuttings In Rooting Flats

FIG. 3Insert Cuttings Into Soil

11/4”

Soil level

Diagonalcut

SecondDiagonal cut

3”3”

Cuttings

Large diametercuttings

Established tree being trained

Leavesemerging

Red loamsoil

Rootsbeginningto grow

Provide water so the soil surfacedoes not dry out

Cuttings

Cutting flat

Growing table

Provide good sunlight and fresh air and water so the soilsurface does not dry out. Do not prune or fertilize.

11/4”

7INTERNATIONAL BONSAI2006/NO. 1

October. Spread powdered organicfertilizer meal that you have crushedfrom solid organic cakes over thesurface of the container. Use twocaramel size organic cakes each timefor a container that is about twelvesquare inches and don’t forget towater it in.

Trim Leggy Growth Before WinterProtection

First Year– Rooting Japanese Flowering Quince Cuttings

FIG. 11Winter Cold Protection In Late November

FIG. 10Trim Leggy Branches Back To 2 Or 3 Nodes In November

AftercareIf you continue watering the cuttings,leaves will appear in late March.Roots will also become active at thistime so place the cuttings on a tablewhere they will have good exposureto the sun and fresh air.

Fertilizer ApplicationsFertilize the rooting cuttings in earlySeptember and the beginning of

When I say leggy branches I meanbranches which have grownextremely long. For example, prunebranches that have grown longerthan four internodes back to twointernodes In November.

After trimming the leggy branchesplace the plants in a cold frame, protective shelter or under eaveswhere the exposure to the sun isgood to protect them from the cold.

FIG. 9Apply Crumbled Solid Organic Cake Fertilizer In September

FIG. 8Summer Care– Morning Sun, Afternoon Shade

Organic fertilizer cakes

CutCut

Roots will grow and fill the pot byearly autumn

Reed for shade

Open reed shade during the morn-ing, close in the afternoon anduncover at night

Crumble with hands

Wooden box covered with poly placed under south facing eve

Coverwithblanketat night

South

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Transplant Into Training PotsIn mid-February flower buds willappear on the rooted cuttings andthey should be removed as soon asthey are found. From the mid to theend of March take each rootedJapanese flowering quince cuttingfrom the cutting flat and transplantthem in individual training pots.Plant the cuttings which will betrained in the informal upright stylein the center of the pots. Plantswhich will be trained in the semi-cascade style should be positionedclose to the edge of the training potleaning over.

Japanese flowering quince arenormally transplanted in autumnbecause it is difficult for them tobecome infested with nematodes ifthey are transplanted at that time.

The reason we are suggestingplanting in training pots in lateMarch rather than in autumn is thatif they are not transplanted at thistime they will not develop fine newroots. If one-third of the roots aretrimmed it will be difficult for themto become infested with nematodes.Also if you use fresh potting soil theywill do well.

Second-Third Year Training Japanese Flowering Quince

FIG. 16Before Trimming Long Branches In Late May

FIG. 15After Trimming In Late May

FIG. 12Transplant Into Training Pot In Mid-March

FIG. 14Fertilize In Late April

FIG. 13After Planting On Angle

Training for cascade style bonsai,plant on angle in training pot

Seal large woundfrom unnecessary

branch

Place 2 organic fertilizer cakes onsoil surface

Scissors

Pruneunnecessary

branch

Prune 1/3 roots

Remove old soil

3” training pot

Trim long branches backto about 1” in length todirect new growth as per planned style Cut

Cut

CutCut

Branches trimmed back to about 1”

9INTERNATIONAL BONSAI2006/NO. 1

Second -Third Year Training Japanese Flowering Quince

FIG. 19After Wiring And Shaping

Subsequent CareJapanese flowering quince do notlike to be water stressed so waterthem sufficiently. Fertilize in lateApril, by placing two organic fertilizercakes at the rim of the pot. Fertilizethe same way in late May, July,August, September and October.

If there are leggy branches on theplants in November they should betrimmed back to two internodes.

Pest And Disease ControlThe Japanese flowering quince mustbe protected from pests and diseasesfrom this year on. They are ofteninfested with aphids so should besprayed to eliminate these pests.

Lightly Prune Leggy BranchesIf there are leggy branches on theplants in late November they shouldbe pruned back to two internodes.

Third Year Styling And PruningPrune the Japanese flowering quincefor overall styling in late March.Prune branches that are too longback to two internodes. If there is abud on the branch you are pruningthat you wish to allow to grow, trimthe branch just below the next bud.

WiringIn June wire the branches withpaper wrapped copper wire andshape the Japanese flowering quinceas you wish. Be sure to allow forspacing between the branches whenstyling.

TransplantingTransplant in late September usingthe same size container as used inthe second year using the same soilmix. After taking the tree out of thecontainer remove all the old soil andtrim one-third of the roots. Prunebranches that have grown too longsince May back to two internodes.Add a pinch of bone meal to thecontainer.

FIG. 17Before Wiring To Shape In Early June

FIG. 18After Trimming And Before Wiring In Early June

Cut

Paper wrappedcopper wire oraluminum wire

·

¶

·

¶

·

¶

Branch 1 which is hanging down will becomethe main trunk and is on top of Branch 2. WireBranch 2 to open the space between Branch 1and Branch 2.

Branch 2 wired andshaped to open thearea

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Fourth Year Training Japanese Flowering Quince

PruningIn late May of the fourth year reducethe branches of the Japanese floweringquince which have grown too longand which you do not want to flowernext year back to one or two intern-odes. Do not prune the brancheswhich you want to flower next year.Allow these branches to grow with-out restriction even if they tend todisrupt the overall styling of the tree.Flower buds will not form on thebranches which were pruned.

Repeat the cultural operationsperformed during the third year.However, there is no need to prune

in late March and fertilizing shouldbe discontinued at the end ofSeptember.

Transplanting Into DisplayContainersTransplant the Japanese floweringquince into display containers inmid- October. Plant them in roundor rectangular glazed containers ofmedium depth. If the plant has whiteflowers use a dark blue, red or greenglazed container. A dark coloredunglazed container can also be utilized. If the flowers are red try awhite, celadon (light green), or deep

blue glazed container. Round shallow containers go well withclump style bonsai. The soil mix andplanting techniques are the same aswhen you transplanted them into atraining pot.

Drastic PruningCheck to see how the flower budsare forming on the Japanese flower-ing quince in November and pruneback branches which disrupt theoverall styling to one or two intern-odes. This will ensure that the flowerbuds you left will bloom in February.

FIG. 21Before Trimming In November

FIG. 23How To Trim Branch Tips

FIG. 22Flower And Leaf Bud Differentiation

FIG. 20Before Trimming In Late May

Areas where flowers areanticipated next spring

Cut

Cut

Cut

Cut

CutCut

Overgrown branches

Trim branches back to 1or 2 nodes. Do nottrim branches where flowers are expectednext spring. Trim just below outward internode.

Leafbud

1 internoderemains

Cut

Flowerbud

Leaf bud

Cutabove

internodeif stem

dies back

Next year’sleaf

11INTERNATIONAL BONSAI2006/NO. 1

Fifth Year Training Japanese Flowering Quince

Enjoy The BlossomsIn November of the fifth year theflower buds will gradually swell andin mid-February they will bloom inearly spring of the fifth year. The red,white, pink or mixture of these flow-

ers will have five petals and will beone inch in diameter. Remove thespent flowers from time to time.Repeat the same care as during thefourth year.

Transplant the Japanese flowering

quince bonsai every other year intothe same size container and be sureto enjoy the blossoms.

FIG. 24Mid February Appearance Of Five Year Old Japanese Flowering Quince From A Cutting

FIG. 25February Appearance Of Five Year Old Japanese Flowering Quince From A Cutting

Flower buds on Branch 1 andBranch 2 gradually swell and blossom in mid February

31/2”

4”

Remove spent floweras they decline

· ¶

23/4”