The best Chinese Quince bonsai seem to be pruned back hard to achieve dense twigginess in an otherwise coarse grower. Here are a couple I’ve been working on; the first was one I bought about 10 years ago, and trunk-chopped it a few times while growing it in the ground to improve the thin, straight trunk. It’s not great, but I think in time it will acquire some character.
Before:
After:
Pot? Shuho.
Next, are cuttings from the tree above. They’ve also been allowed to grow in the ground, and chopped to develop taper and movement…then screwed together to make an eventual twin-trunk. Probably needs a few more years in the ground…
I have been studying bonsai since 1994, in an ever-increasing obsessive fashion. In our last 5 years prior to moving from Iowa to Alabama pursuing a career in the foodservice industry, my bonsai collection was limited to a few varieties that could survive brutal winters outside, or winters under dim light in the dank basement of our humble duplex...my wife puts up with a lot. Including the trailer hitch I put on our brown 1983 Chrysler New Yorker to pull a U-Haul full of trees to Nashville for a 3-month stop along the career path that led us to Alabama. 12 years later, we no longer have the New Yorker; and not a single one of those trees remain on my bench, having given the last holdout to a new club member this summer. I prefer collecting native trees and buying the classical species used in Japan, feeding organic, and reading everything I can get my hands on.
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5 thoughts on “Chinese Quince winter pruning”
I love Chinese Quince, especially the bark. I know it has probably occurred to you already but the second trunk section is a little long & without taper. It pushes back your time to completion considerably but you have an ideal chop point using the 2nd branch which will essentially halve that long section.
I’ve seen your blog posts on trees like the crenata and seigen & know you’re a bit of a perfectionist. It could make the difference between a keeper & one you sell on.
You’re 100% right, and I was hoping the angle change would improve the trunk line and hide the too-long section well enough that I could use the whole thing. It may not have achieved that goal. I have been struggling with that second section for years. I may need to suck it up, chop it back, and put it back in the ground for a few more years. I’ve been working on it for 12 years now, what’s another 5!? This is the article showing it growing out over time, and the ill-fated chop! https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/chinese-quince-in-the-ground/
Thanks for reading Paul!
I think you’d be much happier with it Brian. You might get some sacrifices down low too if you’re lucky. How well do these pop on old wood?
I am in the process of creating a triple trunk paperbark maple. Never though of using screws to hold them together The method I used is Velcro tape and then black electrical tape Both the Velcro tape and electrical tape will stretch as the trees grow
Nebari Bonsai 
I love Chinese Quince, especially the bark. I know it has probably occurred to you already but the second trunk section is a little long & without taper. It pushes back your time to completion considerably but you have an ideal chop point using the 2nd branch which will essentially halve that long section.
I’ve seen your blog posts on trees like the crenata and seigen & know you’re a bit of a perfectionist. It could make the difference between a keeper & one you sell on.
Thanks for sharing & keep up with the blog!
You’re 100% right, and I was hoping the angle change would improve the trunk line and hide the too-long section well enough that I could use the whole thing. It may not have achieved that goal. I have been struggling with that second section for years. I may need to suck it up, chop it back, and put it back in the ground for a few more years. I’ve been working on it for 12 years now, what’s another 5!? This is the article showing it growing out over time, and the ill-fated chop!
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/chinese-quince-in-the-ground/
Thanks for reading Paul!
I think you’d be much happier with it Brian. You might get some sacrifices down low too if you’re lucky. How well do these pop on old wood?
I am in the process of creating a triple trunk paperbark maple. Never though of using screws to hold them together The method I used is Velcro tape and then black electrical tape Both the Velcro tape and electrical tape will stretch as the trees grow
hi Brian do you find that the scars on quince are slow to heal over?