Growing Chrysanthemum Bonsai

[Pitoon]

So I have 5 dwarf cultivars growing out right now, still need to get a couple more cultivars to finish the collection. I plan to wire several of these out as soon as I get the chance to. The cultivars I have so far is Chidori, Crystal Falls, Hatsune, Kotoi No Kaori, and Yukari. I also managed to snag a first edition Art of the Chrysanthemum book. Pretty amazing that this book is 55yrs old and in great shape minus the jacket. For those of you that have never seen a dwarf I took a pic along side a normal chrysanthemum to show the size comparison. You can see how much of a difference the size is between the two. As these grow out I will probably be offering rooted cuttings if anyone is interested PM me.

Stay tuned.....

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My favorites are 'Yukari' and 'Koto no Kaori'.

These take a bit of work and time to develop a trees, and usually you end up starting over every year. But the flowers are nice.

 

[Pitoon]

I have already noticed that they grow FAST! I think I will have to check the wire weekly once I start the wiring to prevent biting in.

 

[Pitoon]

@William N. Valavanis I have a few questions if you don't mind about when you were doing chrysanthemum bonsai.

- How long did you leave the wire on to set the branch/trunk into position. I've noticed that these grow extremely fast.
- What is the max height possible one can reach before having to transition over to focusing on the flowers along with keeping a design in mind?
- What is the life expectancy of a chrysanthemum bonsai if maintained properly.....5-10yrs?

 

[Cadillactaste]

I'm assuming you've looked at this thread, which Mr. Valavanis attached a blog on this topic?

Chrysanthemums as Bonsai, or Kusamono or Sanyasou

Nice, thank you for sharing.

www.bonsainut.com

 

[William N. Valavanis]

@William N. Valavanis I have a few questions if you don't mind about when you were doing chrysanthemum bonsai.

- How long did you leave the wire on to set the branch/trunk into position. I've noticed that these grow extremely fast.
- What is the max height possible one can reach before having to transition over to focusing on the flowers along with keeping a design in mind?
- What is the life expectancy of a chrysanthemum bonsai if maintained properly.....5-10yrs?

Leave the d weed ire on for about two weeks, but check daily, they really grow fast!

Be sure to transplant monthly into training pots maximizing with no more than a two gallon can.

Heights 8-10 or 12” is about maX.

You will be going good if you can get two years....

Good luck!

 

[RJG2]

How hardy are the dwarf varieties?

 

[Cadillactaste]

That's dedication for a short lived plant...honest, the Nippon Daisy for a long term bonsai goal would be a good direction.

 

[Pitoon]

I'm assuming you've looked at this thread, which Mr. Valavanis attached a blog on this topic?

Chrysanthemums as Bonsai, or Kusamono or Sanyasou

Nice, thank you for sharing.

www.bonsainut.com

That's dedication for a short lived plant...honest, the Nippon Daisy for a long term bonsai goal would be a good direction.

That's the thread that sent me down the rabbit hole......

It's a lot of work for something that is short lived, but it's something I can check off the block and say that I've did it and learn a few things along the way. Ted King supposedly had one going for 10yrs or so.

I guess I can say I enjoy propagating them more than anything. Here's some red and yellow spoons i'm propagating at the moment. Looking to start some new dwarf cultivars next year.

Leave the d weed ire on for about two weeks, but check daily, they really grow fast!

Be sure to transplant monthly into training pots maximizing with no more than a two gallon can.

Heights 8-10 or 12” is about maX.

You will be going good if you can get two years....

Good luck!

Thank you for the info. Really looking forward in working with these.

How hardy are the dwarf varieties?

To me they seem as normal chrysanthemums, just smaller.

 

[PaleFire]

My order of gnome types from king mums here in oklahomastan arrived last week as well

 

[Pitoon]

My order of gnome types from king mums here in oklahomastan arrived last week as well

Nice! Which ones did you get?

 

[PaleFire]

Nice! Which ones did you get?

Ill have to look but im fairly certain i bought one of each gnome variety and then two regular sized ones for my flowerbed. I know i got crystal falls, chidori and another...i think it was called like hatsune or something.

 

[Pitoon]

Ill have to look but im fairly certain i bought one of each gnome variety and then two regular sized ones for my flowerbed. I know i got crystal falls, chidori and another...i think it was called like hatsune or something.

I got three of each gnome. Keep an eye on them I've lost several of them already to fungus.

 

[PaleFire]

Really? Will do. Do you ever attempt to overwinter them?

 

[Pitoon]

Really? Will do. Do you ever attempt to overwinter them?

This is my first time dealing with dwarfs. I have other chrysanthemums and they come back up after winter, but those do not keep the trunks as the die back to ground level. I would assume the dwarfs are not different, except if you want to keep the trunks you need to winter them and keep them from freezing.

 

[PaleFire]

Makes sense. I think the nippon daisy or whatever is the winter hardy one. I could be mistaken. Either way, im excited. They seem to be a decent amount of work though

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I have overwintered some of the gnomes for several years now. In the ground, they are Hardy maybe through zone 6b, with mulch, maybe 6a. But in a cold winter, zero old wood will survive, only stolons spreading horizontally under the mulching survive.

If you want to retain old woody trunks, you need to keep them above freezing. Preferably between 32 F and 40 F. (0 C to 4 C). Below 40F they can be kept in the dark. They can be kept warmer than 40F, but then if warmer, they need as much light as possible, as they will try to grow.

While in winter storage, good air movement is essential. I keep fans in my well house running 24 hours, 7 days a week. Air needs to be buoyant.

 

[Pitoon]

I have overwintered some of the gnomes for several years now. In the ground, they are Hardy maybe through zone 6b, with mulch, maybe 6a. But in a cold winter, zero old wood will survive, only stolons spreading horizontally under the mulching survive.

If you want to retain old woody trunks, you need to keep them above freezing. Preferably between 32 F and 40 F. (0 C to 4 C). Below 40F they can be kept in the dark. They can be kept warmer than 40F, but then if warmer, they need as much light as possible, as they will try to grow.

While in winter storage, good air movement is essential. I keep fans in my well house running 24 hours, 7 days a week. Air needs to be buoyant.

@Leo in N E Illinois I recently read an old thread off another forum where you posted pics of yours. Do you still have them? If not how long did you manage to keep them with trunks?

 

[PaleFire]

Thanks for the info, now from what ive read the chrysanthemums arent long lived so if you do manage to overwinter it, they only make it 3-5 years and that i should just start from a stolon each spring. Is that correct?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I still have 'Koto no Kaori', and 2 others. None of my desirable trunks have survived. I got a few trunks to survive, but not the nice shapely ones I wanted. Vast majority of pieces survived as stolons spreading in the pots with the trunks.

The last couple years I have not had time or energy to work with them, so I keep them alive, but don't worry about creating trunks, just a nice clump of stolons to carry over for the next year.

I'm glad King's mum's keeps them going.