For the love of Prunus mume...

[SeanS]

What cultivar is this one?

The first 2 photos are of what was labeled as “albo-plena”

The small cutting is off an unlabelled Ume so I’m not sure. It’s in my grow bed, going into a bonsai pot in spring



The mother tree of the small cutting. The wired shoot was a shoot I used for an approach graft. I cut it off this past weekend. The graft is currently flowering, the only flowering shoot on the whole tree at the moment



What it looked like when I acquired in June 2022

 

[Pitoon]

Here's some cuttings I just pulled to repot, and if your wondering how small of a cutting you can go. There's a 1" cutting the fully rooted. This cultivar is 'Roseglow'.

 

[Pitoon]

........prepping some mume pits now.

 

[moriel]

Season 4th for my Ume Picture taken in January 2024

 

[Pitoon]

Here's a handful of mume kernels from mixed cultivars. It took a while to crack each pit one by one. These have been rehydrated and are now in the fridge for a short stratification.

 

[SeanS]

Potted up last season’s cuttings. Wired a couple of them too.
One of them has a bud around 1cm from the roots so I’ll try cutting back to that bud later in the season. I’d like to try grow a super twisty shohin Ume so using the young shoot that grows from that bud would be ideal

 

[Canada Bonsai]

These have been rehydrated and are now in the fridge for a short stratification.

Can I ask how long stratification? When do you plan to plant them? When do you think they will germinate?

I have been planting mine in the fall in trays that follow my bonsai: overwinter at +2 to +4C (35-39F), and then move into the greenhouse on March 1st.

Sounds like you're taking an express route? I'm very curious!

 

[Pitoon]

Can I ask how long stratification? When do you plan to plant them? When do you think they will germinate?

The kernels stratify until they germinate in the fridge. These are fresh so I'm estimating they should start germinating within a month or so.

As each kernel germinates, I pull them to plant once their tap root gets to about 1/4". I will keep the seedlings growing through the winter.

How do the Japanese do it, did they share that with you?

 

[Pitoon]

For those of you that love mume and Legos.. .

Plum Blossom Kit

 

[Pitoon]

Here's what the kernels look like at one week into stratification.

 

[badatusernames]

Relevant for this thread!

 

[Canada Bonsai]

The kernels stratify until they germinate in the fridge. These are fresh so I'm estimating they should start germinating within a month or so.

As each kernel germinates, I pull them to plant once their tap root gets to about 1/4". I will keep the seedlings growing through the winter.

How do the Japanese do it, did they share that with you?

Interesting approach! I myself have been playing with different approaches but have not settled on the best one yet.

I've done 'studies' where I cracked half and did not crack the other half, and can't say I noticed a difference. But my sample size was small, and it could just be that I did not use a method that took advantage of that difference that cracking a shell open could create.

I have almost 6lbs of seed in total to use this year, so I am going to try a few the way you describe! How do you plant to keep the going all winter? Besides lights, you're gonna hold higher temp too?

I'm sure you've seen this page from Kyosuke Gun's book. If I'm translating correctly, he plants them with the shells in June, and gets germination in March the following year. But other books definitely recommend cracking and removing the shells. I already planted a bunch of mine, 250 with shells, 250 without shells (I'm going to try another 250 the way you're doing them). The ones I already planted are in trays that I'm going to move with my bonsai -- so all winter they'll get +2 to +4C (+35 to +39F), and as of March 1st I'll bring up the temp in the greenhouse. Biggest problem will be keeping rodents away -- they've been a problem in the past with Ume and Wisteria seeds in particular for me.

 

[SeanS]

Interesting approach! I myself have been playing with different approaches but have not settled on the best one yet.

I've done 'studies' where I cracked half and did not crack the other half, and can't say I noticed a difference. But my sample size was small, and it could just be that I did not use a method that took advantage of that difference that cracking a shell open could create.

I have almost 6lbs of seed in total to use this year, so I am going to try a few the way you describe! How do you plant to keep the going all winter? Besides lights, you're gonna hold higher temp too?

I'm sure you've seen this page from Kyosuke Gun's book. If I'm translating correctly, he plants them with the shells in June, and gets germination in March the following year. But other books definitely recommend cracking and removing the shells. I already planted a bunch of mine, 250 with shells, 250 without shells (I'm going to try another 250 the way you're doing them). The ones I already planted are in trays that I'm going to move with my bonsai -- so all winter they'll get +2 to +4C (+35 to +39F), and as of March 1st I'll bring up the temp in the greenhouse. Biggest problem will be keeping rodents away -- they've been a problem in the past with Ume and Wisteria seeds in particular for me.

I’m just here to find out what was Mrs was saying to Mr?

 

[Pitoon]

I’m just here to find out what was Mrs was saying to Mr?

She says: Welcome home, Tayosai
He says: I'm home (mid-July)

 

[SeanS]

Small cutting grown Ume graduates to a bonsai pot

 

[SeanS]

Double post

 

[Pitoon]

Small cutting grown Ume graduates to a bonsai pot

View attachment 562767

How old is that cutting?

 

[SeanS]

How old is that cutting?

2 seasons old, rooted it in the 2022 growing season.
My cat is responsible for the sharp bend in the upper trunk

 

[SeanS]

Here’s an earlier photo of the cutting from Feb 2023

 

[Pitoon]

Prunus mume 'Kobai' cuttings ready to be transplanted. These were from a late batch of cuttings I experimented with.