Prunus Mume

[Brian Van Fleet]

One last night shot.

 

[LanceMac10]

...if I may @Brian Van Fleet , so's to motivate folks to read this thread from page one.......

impressive taming of branches on a species I find to be a challenge to create secondary branching....just wants to throw a single shoot from any pruning I've done....


salutations to the old fence from yesteryear....

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Nice... here ya go...around 10 years separates these two shots. It’s gotten a bit mellower hasn’t it?

 

[Jboy2424]

Ume is a heavy feeder, and requires lots of water. This contributes to the necessity of repotting regularly. I have never had akadama “turn into mush” so while I’ve heard the claim, I’ve never seen it. I do not prune the roots much at all, but rather just tease them out, and replace the soil. This year it’s going into a larger pot, and I hope it will regain some vigor.

Beautiful work! I am new on the board and am truly thankful for the "Mume Calendar". Is there anywhere where there are soil suggestions for the appropriate combinations to help one's mume thrive? Also, something going a bit in depth on the suggested types of fertilizer which are appropriate? I have seen some awesome suggestions but just wondered if there was anything that would help me feel like I have a concrete understanding. Thanks for all the guidance!!!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Welcome @Jboy2424. I used akadama and a little lava rock this time around, and this is my feeding program:

Cake: Feeding the trees

I feed organic; let them eat cake…and fish. For the last 6-7 years, my recipe has become simple and the results have become predictable. I check the forecast to look for a few sunny days&#823…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

And while we’re here, a quick update...new old pot by Shuho.

 

[Jboy2424]

Welcome @Jboy2424. I used akadama and a little lava rock this time around, and this is my feeding program:

Cake: Feeding the trees

I feed organic; let them eat cake…and fish. For the last 6-7 years, my recipe has become simple and the results have become predictable. I check the forecast to look for a few sunny days&#823…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

And while we’re here, a quick update...new old pot by Shuho.
View attachment 361819

Brian, very nice and extremely interesting. However, because of physical problems something like that would be extremely difficult - I can't physically even wire anymore, anything I do needs to involve "clip and grow" and/or get someone to wire for me at the proper time. Is there a method where I could purchase a type of cake fertilizer, use fish emulsion, and 0-10-10 as described in one thread? The post also suggested adding trace minerals each new year (hoping you can suggest a "trace mineral" product) that would fill my needs. Or suggest a feeding schedule I might be able to accomplish considering my abilities. Thank you - truly inspiring information.

Also, as for the soil, would akadama and mule mix work similar to using akadama and lava rock? Or would the mule mix hold moisture which could be a problem?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Welcome @Jboy2424. I used akadama and a little lava rock this time around, and this is my feeding program:

Cake: Feeding the trees

I feed organic; let them eat cake…and fish. For the last 6-7 years, my recipe has become simple and the results have become predictable. I check the forecast to look for a few sunny days&#823…

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

And while we’re here, a quick update...new old pot by Shuho.
View attachment 361819

A HUGE THUMBS UP FOR THE NEW POT!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

A HUGE THUMBS UP FOR THE NEW POT!

Thanks, it’s enormous compared to the last one, but in leaf, it will work visually. Hopefully with greater soil volume, the tree will be stronger this year.

 

[Trueblackpercula]

Great looking pot. Is it me or does the soil look really red? Did you try something new or is it just the picture?
Michael

 

[Jboy2424]

That pot really does make a huge difference in helping the tree look pleasing to the eye.


*** I'm new to the board and was able to post and get responses. Just wondering why, all of a sudden, my response to Brian's potting post got the message "awaiting moderator approval, and is invisible to normal visitors"?

 

[Jboy2424]

Michael, I can not answer for @Brian Van Fleet , but I remember there is a link about feeding in this very thread.
However I can tell you what I've been using: Organic pellets (BioGold and Hanagokoro) during the growing season, Fish Emulsion every fortnight, and 0:10:10 by fall.
I cut fertilizing during the summer dormancy and when the flower buds are ready to open.

Just wanted to make the distinction - is your response to use "Biogold and Hanagokoro" to complement each other and cover all nutritious aspects - or meant to be one or the other as they are more or less similar and interchangeable? I appreciate the information and am off to look again for the "feeding link" you referred to. Thank you!

 

[Jboy2424]

Nice... here ya go...around 10 years separates these two shots. It’s gotten a bit mellower hasn’t it?
View attachment 349934

This masterpiece deserves a name. I'm curious as to what you call it. Every time I look at it, it gets more and more interesting. Sure does remind me of someone reaching out with their right hand, while their left arm is at their side and behind their back. Spectacular! It allows one's imagination to actual travel to interesting destinations. (or maybe I'm more of a nut case then I originally suspected!)

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Great looking pot. Is it me or does the soil look really red? Did you try something new or is it just the picture?
Michael

Think it’s just the photo. Soil is akadama and some red lava...it does have a bit of a red look when wet.

This masterpiece deserves a name. I'm curious as to what you call it. Every time I look at it, it gets more and more interesting. Sure does remind me of someone reaching out with their right hand, while their left arm is at their side and behind their back. Spectacular! It allows one's imagination to actual travel to interesting destinations. (or maybe I'm more of a nut case then I originally suspected!)

Thanks, glad you like it. I really haven’t given much thought to a name, I just call it the Ume. It has been a fun tree.

 

[AndyJ]

That pot makes it Brian. Looking really smart!

 

[Jboy2424]

Think it’s just the photo. Soil is akadama and some red lava...it does have a bit of a red look when wet.

Thanks, glad you like it. I really haven’t given much thought to a name, I just call it the Ume. It has been a fun tree.

"Ume" is truly impressive. The actual reason I'm responding however is to ask you to look at post #426 in this thread and see if you would mind giving me a few extra tips. I also wanted to make sure I understood the fertilizing tip that had been in a post near the "Mume Calendar" post. It said to fertilize using Hanagokoro and Biogold - but I suspect the poster meant Hanagokoro "or" Biogold rather then combining the two. Is this a correct assumption? And is one better then the other?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian, very nice and extremely interesting. However, because of physical problems something like that would be extremely difficult - I can't physically even wire anymore, anything I do needs to involve "clip and grow" and/or get someone to wire for me at the proper time. Is there a method where I could purchase a type of cake fertilizer, use fish emulsion, and 0-10-10 as described in one thread? The post also suggested adding trace minerals each new year (hoping you can suggest a "trace mineral" product) that would fill my needs. Or suggest a feeding schedule I might be able to accomplish considering my abilities. Thank you - truly inspiring information.

Also, as for the soil, would akadama and mule mix work similar to using akadama and lava rock? Or would the mule mix hold moisture which could be a problem?

"Ume" is truly impressive. The actual reason I'm responding however is to ask you to look at post #426 in this thread and see if you would mind giving me a few extra tips. I also wanted to make sure I understood the fertilizing tip that had been in a post near the "Mume Calendar" post. It said to fertilize using Hanagokoro and Biogold - but I suspect the poster meant Hanagokoro "or" Biogold rather then combining the two. Is this a correct assumption? And is one better then the other?

I limit my participation of soil and fertilizer discussions to what I do; and link to my site’s recipe and feeding process. I still follow that regime.
BioGold is an organic pellet fertilizer. Alaska Naturals now has a Micronutrients product. Both are available at Amazon.
I am not familiar with mule mix. I used akadama and some lava rock with this repot.
For more pointers, I would suggest you search my site, Bonsai Tonight, Peter Tea, and a few people here post info about their umes as well.
Best regards,
BVF

 

[Jboy2424]

I limit my participation of soil and fertilizer discussions to what I do; and link to my site’s recipe and feeding process. I still follow that regime.
BioGold is an organic pellet fertilizer. Alaska Naturals now has a Micronutrients product. Both are available at Amazon.
I am not familiar with mule mix. I used akadama and some lava rock with this repot.
For more pointers, I would suggest you search my site, Bonsai Tonight, Peter Tea, and a few people here post info about their umes as well.
Best regards,
BVF

Thanks Brian. I take it Biogold and Hanagokoro are similar products then. Mule mix is similar to turface, a very good grower of bonsai who owned a nursery, suggested I use it for planting almost anything. Made sure I knew it has no nutritious value and I would have to supply everything for the tree. It's an inexpensive mix that can be purchased at local farmer co-ops for around $10 dollars for 50 lbs. Just so much info and trying to catch up is exhausting

 

[leatherback]

Could someone tell me when would be the best time of year to dig up a mume like this? This photo is probably somewhere between 5-10 years old. The tree is the cultivar "Bridal Veil".

I for one would love Brians thread to stay about his mume.
Could you please create a thread for your mume questions?

 

[Jboy2424]

I for one would love Brians thread to stay about his mume.
Could you please create a thread for your mume questions?

Why not name the thread "Brian's Prunus Mume". So an idiot new person like me understands not to post questions in the "Prunus Mume" thread.

To answer your response: There's a link to the "Calendar for Prunus Mume", on the web, so everyone "may" not start reading the thread from the beginning.
And, even after going back to the beginning, why would someone not ask questions in the "Prunus Mume" thread about "Prunus Mume"?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Why not name the thread "Brian's Prunus Mume". So an idiot new person like me understands not to post questions in the "Prunus Mume" thread.

To answer your response: There's a link to the "Calendar for Prunus Mume", on the web, so everyone "may" not start reading the thread from the beginning.
And, even after going back to the beginning, why would someone not ask questions in the "Prunus Mume" thread about "Prunus Mume"?

Typically, progression threads (ones that track a single tree over a long period of time) should stay generally on the topic of the tree. They can wander a bit, but full images and discussions about other trees get distracting and muddle up a progression thread.