Toyo Nishiki Survivor

[0soyoung]

Flower buds on mine aren't easily recognized until early February. A trained eye likely can see them earlier.

 

[coh]

Looking forward to watching this one develop. Toyo-nishiki with decent bases seem hard to find. I've got one in the ground but it is developing verrry slowly.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I had some flower buds, and I started to recognize them in Dec. See the cluster of two round buds?

Meanwhile, I'm reading some Colin Lewis, Brent Walston, Bill Valavanis, and some nonbonsai sources.

 

[fredtruck]

Until your quince really gets going, flower buds tend to develop in crotches, or in other places where hormones tend to collect. After your tree is really going, flower buds can be anywhere.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

A few shots. Not as many flower bud clusters as I would've liked, but it's more than last year.
Hope I don't disappoint my seniors and the folks following along too much.
I think I made some improvements. Pruned branches after knowing where there aren't flower buds, and I'll be pruning more after flowers are done.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Getting close to blooming.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Started to bloom today.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

 

[GrimLore]

Started to bloom today.

Great to see! Thank you for sharing - damn nice in my book

Grimmy

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Thank you, Grimmy!

 

[bonhe]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing Thumblessprimate.
Bonhe

 

[fredtruck]

You've done very well with this tree!

 

[0soyoung]

Ya, ya - what they all said - me too.

 

[MichaelS]

Speaking of Toyonishiki, I have one that's about 25 years old and still not one red flower. When will I see red??

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Thanks, for the charitable comments! Feel free to let me know whatever you think might improve it. I'm keeping in mind that Japanese quince bonsai ought to be designed with their flowers in mind. At the moment I intend for its final size to be about the height and width of where the branches extend to in first image of post 25. Some of the branches that are growing from the base develop into trunks; I'd like some significant gap between those and the current larger trunks.

There are some things that I'm not sure of yet. In the picture below is one area circled that bothers me at the moment. does it look like something you'd try to fix? After the blossoms are done, I've wondered if I should remove a section (a) or (b). There's an underlined section that's growing straight and strong. With section b retained, wire could still be used to manipulate some movement into it. Another idea is to keep both a and b but prune back hard that branch in section b to keep it from thickening too much.

Speaking of Toyonishiki, I have one that's about 25 years old and still not one red flower. When will I see red??

I'm not sure about the red flowers or even red pigments. I used to think it just had to do with sunlight. @bonhe might be able to fill you in. I was planning on just getting some improved Toyo nishiki and grafting branches on.

 

[Cypress187]

I see you have 'some branches' (the top branch) heavily wired but i barely see any movement (there is movement in the tree ofcourse) in them, isn't it better to just loosly wire them instead (in a less steep angle)?

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I see you have 'some branches' (the top branch) heavily wired but i barely see any movement (there is movement in the tree ofcourse) in them, isn't it better to just loosly wire them instead (in a less steep angle)?

Originally I put a lot of movement into the top, but then I decided to ease it up as it is now. I aim for gentler movement thinking that it'd go better with the trunks as they are, now. It was good practice to wire on quince.

 

[bonhe]

There are some things that I'm not sure of yet. In the picture below is one area circled that bothers me at the moment. does it look like something you'd try to fix? After the blossoms are done, I've wondered if I should remove a section (a) or (b). There's an underlined section that's growing straight and strong. With section b retained, wire could still be used to manipulate some movement into it. Another idea is to keep both a and b but prune back hard that branch in section b to keep it from thickening too much.

I would remove the (a) because it is too strong comparing to others.
Bonhe

 

[bonhe]

Speaking of Toyonishiki, I have one that's about 25 years old and still not one red flower. When will I see red??

If you don't see red flower in the first few years, I am afraid that you will never see it later on! It is tricky part of the Toyo nishiki! That is why when I decide to propagate it, I have to pay attention to the flower color patterns first, then mark it so that I can remember where I should do air layering.
Bonhe