Chinese Quince Care

[Beng]

I picked up a nice imported chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis, not sure the subspecies) a few weeks back and would like to find out more about the species, but there isn't much info online other then very broad general care. What can you all tell me specifically about pruning chinese quince, fertilizing it, repotting and root removal i'm new to this species. I've pruned it back once since I got it. It seems to push growth mainly from the apex, perhaps it's strongly apically dominant. I pruned overall but i'm seeing most new growth come from the apex rather then from the cut branch tips.

I read this page but it discusses techniques for further along trees like timed defoliation and such. http://bonsaiunearthed.com/tag/chinese-quince/ I still need to build much better ramification.

It was pot pound so for now i slip potted it into a slightly larger grow pot for the summer. Seems healthy and happy. I plan to get it into a smaller pot next year depending on the amount of root reduction this species can take. I doubt you can tell from my bad iphone picture but two large 8 inch uncarved jins seem to have been left on the tree. I don't usually leave jins on deciduous trees unless it seems like the best way to go which it often isn't due to rot. If spring is the best time for C. Quince I plan to cut off these two large jins into the live wood to heal them over. The bark is beautiful, i love the way it flakes away to multiple colors. The trunk is 4-5 inches wide before the nebari looking foward to exposing it.

I tried to outline the basic trunk so you all could see it's shape a bit better.

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[Brian Van Fleet]

Bonsai Today #46 has a few good articles on C. Quince. International Bonsai had a good issue on them too; 1999 #1. Owen's blog you referenced is very good too. Looks like you have a good trunk going. I have a bunch in the ground, but the biggest could stand a few more years...whether I'm patient enough (after 8 years) to keep it there is another story. Look forward to seeing what you do with yours.

The little I've gleaned from them in the ground is that they love full sun, take all the food I can throw at them, start growing very early. They seem to not suffer in hot dry conditions, but will attract aphids to the new sticky growth. Bark peels earl too...early May. Mine have not flowered. I can't tell you much about the roots. Everything I've read recommends wiring in the winter. The nicest ones seem to be wired for lots of movement in the first 1/2-3/4" then allowed to grow and cut back hard over successive years.

 

[JudyB]

start growing very early. but will attract aphids to the new sticky growth.

Very early, like before you think it should! But it seems to be fine with starting in the cold. It worried me the first couple of years, but it doesn't miss a beat thru the late frosts. And aphids galore, worse than crabs. They do put on fast growth even in a trainer, but heal surprisingly slowly. Yours looks good.

 

[Beng]

Very early, like before you think it should! But it seems to be fine with starting in the cold. It worried me the first couple of years, but it doesn't miss a beat thru the late frosts. And aphids galore, worse than crabs. They do put on fast growth even in a trainer, but heal surprisingly slowly. Yours looks good.

So far I've been free of aphids on it, perhaps cause its summer now and most of the growth is hardened off. I did notice when pruning my hands were all sticky afterwards no wonder aphids love it.

 

[dick benbow]

Bill V's international bonsai magazine has 2 articles on chinese quince this time ( issue 2-2013)
good stuff!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Bill V's international bonsai magazine has 2 articles on chinese quince this time ( issue 2-2013)
good stuff!

Cool...something to look forward to. I usually renew my IB subscription in time to get them all at once for Christmastime reading material!

 

[Paulpash]

I've had a few Quinces and here's my observations:

#1 Like others have said healing is slow - think carefully about large pruning cuts. It's slow to bulk up.
#2 Like most fruiting varieties they like a little heavier mix and lots of water. My Quince is usually one of the first to show it's dry - by new shoots sagging slightly. It loves lots of feed - I feed mine every 10 -14 days.
#3 Wire young shoots (as BVF has said) early to get movement
#4 Root pruning is tolerated well and they can take quite substantial root reduction.I repot mine in early Spring. I add a little chopped bark to my usual totally inorganic mix.
#5 Quince can flower on and off for 6 months of the year here in the UK (which is quite an achievement). They are always the first to flower and seem impervious to frost. Leaving on one or two fruits is OK but if you want to build structure I'd remove them. One year in three I disbud totally and let it rest.
#6 A healthy quince will occasionally pop new buds on the trunk... use these to improve your branch structure.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Marie,
Are you describing Chinese quince, Pseudocydonia chinensis, or Japanese Quince, Chaenomeles ? I dont want to presume, but some of your description sounds like the latter (Esp. #5)...?

 

[Dan W.]

Nice one! I always admire these in the Kokufu books. They make stunning bonsai!

 

[Paulpash]

Yes mine is a Chaenomeles ... I had to look up the latin name in my notes - sorry. I hope I haven't misled the OP.

 

[shayanjameel08]

Hi Let mo know that how we can Repellent plants for Chinese Quince...?

 

[dick benbow]

I have one in the ground for the last coupla years to build up the trunk. I have two others in pots. None of mine have ever bloomed. I appreciate them primarily for their tri colored bark.

 

[bonsaibp]

Hi Let mo know that how we can Repellent plants for Chinese Quince...?

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[lordy]

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think SNL when Buh Weet sings Bob Dylan

 

[Ris]

Just picked up 2 of these Japanese chaenomeles contourla, looking up caring info.
Anyone has the contouring branches?

 

[fredtruck]

I have a contorted white flowering quince. Care for these is pretty much the same as for standard Japanese flowering quinces. Lots of info on these online. Do a Google search. The chief difference seems to be that the contorted varieties withstand heat a little better than others--the white ones, that is.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Key word being Japanese (Chaenomeles)...different from Chinese (Pseudocydonia) quince.

 

[Ris]

Thanks guys, been reading up and think their going in ground but these darn gophers keep
Tunneling everywhere. Am afraid to plant stuff in ground, so been thinking about using a screen to avoid root damage. My quince is red color.

 

[bonsaibp]

Thanks guys, been reading up and think their going in ground but these darn gophers keep
Tunneling everywhere. Am afraid to plant stuff in ground, so been thinking about using a screen to avoid root damage. My quince is red color.

Wrapping the roots in hardware cloth is about the only solution in the ground or you could try a pot in a bigger pot. Not as good as the ground but better then nothing.

 

[edprocoat]

I have had a lot of luck growing out Bonsai in five gallon plastic buckets like you buy at Home Depot or Lowes. I drill about 5, 3/8 inch holes around the outside at the bottom, like a nursery container, put an inch of gravel in the bottom then fill it with a mix of soil and lava rock and composted pine bark, or you could use whatever pleases you. It gives tons of area to root and grow in and is cheap, less than $4 for the bucket and sturdy as hell and portable too.

ed