New Garden Center Texas Scarlet Quince

[doctorater]

Wanted to share this latest acquisition with the community.

Ran across this Texas Scarlet Quince at a local garden center. Wasn't familiar with the variety so I did some research on it, then went back and picked it up.

This particular plant has wonderful root spread and a nice branch structure. All I did to it before the photographs was remove dozens (felt like thousands) of suckers and a couple of dead branch stubs. The suckers appeared to be "sucking" the energy from the upper part of the tree as the other Texas Scarlets there that had fewer suckers had more fullness in their crowns. Some of the others of this variety were almost as nice as this one, so maybe I'll pick another one up later.

01 is the assumed front...
02 is the right side...
03 is the left side...
04 is the back...
05 is a closeup of the nebari
06 is the photobombed version - someone wanted to know what I was doing. It's my avatar now.

Happy to hear any of your thoughts about this tree both stylistic and horticultural.

Some questions for those in the know...

• When is the best time to repot? I've seen some say in the Fall, some say in the Spring.
• When repotting, how aggressive can I be with root removal? I've seen some be VERY aggressive with the roots on these (this guy was insanely aggressive...)
• Any nice styling options you see besides the obvious informal upright?

Thanks all,
Steve

 

[Colorado]

I’ve had one of these for about a year. Mine is pretty large, it’s in a 24” long grow box. In the early spring, before leaves emerged, I bare rooted it from nursery soil and into 50/50 pumice/akadama.

It did not skip a beat and grew well all year. Roots actually grew out of the box and into the ground in just a month or so. Very vigorous. I think you can be “aggressive” with the roots but that is not a license to completely abuse the plant. It can definitely still die if you go too hard on the roots.

I can’t think of a quince in any style other than a clump/forest/multitrunk design. Just doesn’t make any sense to me to try to make a quince into a tree with a single trunk because…well…because it’s a quince!

Nice material and good luck!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I can’t think of a quince in any style other than a clump/forest/multitrunk design. Just doesn’t make any sense to me to try to make a quince into a tree with a single trunk because…well…because it’s a quince!

For clarification - we're talking Japanese quince here, not Chinese quince.

Japanese quince is extremely difficult to grow as a single trunk. You will cut off the suckers, and they will return, over and over, while the main trunk refuses to thicken. I could share photos of my neighbor with a Japanese quince in her landscape, at least 20 years, and the bush is 12' tall and not a single trunk is thicker than 1". Clump style... perhaps raft style. But single trunk? Challenging.

Chinese quince has such a different growth pattern that I wish they wouldn't even share the "quince" name. They couldn't be more different.

 

[hinmo24t]

Cool pup! Looks like a nice tree too

 

[doctorater]

For clarification - we're talking Japanese quince here, not Chinese quince.

Japanese quince is extremely difficult to grow as a single trunk. You will cut off the suckers, and they will return, over and over, while the main trunk refuses to thicken. I could share photos of my neighbor with a Japanese quince in her landscape, at least 20 years, and the bush is 12' tall and not a single trunk is thicker than 1". Clump style... perhaps raft style. But single trunk? Challenging.

Chinese quince has such a different growth pattern that I wish they wouldn't even share the "quince" name. They couldn't be more different.

So with material like this, would you just allow suckers to grow and turn it into a multi-trunk?

 

[doctorater]

Cool pup! Looks like a nice tree too

Thanks. The pup is the coolest. The tree is nice too.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would keep a few suckers, allow one or two new each year, remove the rest. Wire for movement or prune for movement at least twice a season. Choose which suckers to keep by position. You want a clump that is attractive.

They are very hardy. In zone 5b, I just leave them in pots setting on the ground for winter. Works for 'Contorted White', 'Toyo Nishiki', and other large size Chaenomeles types. 'Chojubai' is not quite as winter hardy. The dwarfs like 'Chojubai', 'Kan Toyo' and 'Hime' are less winter hardy, probably zone 6b.

 

[Colorado]

For clarification - we're talking Japanese quince here, not Chinese quince.

Japanese quince is extremely difficult to grow as a single trunk. You will cut off the suckers, and they will return, over and over, while the main trunk refuses to thicken. I could share photos of my neighbor with a Japanese quince in her landscape, at least 20 years, and the bush is 12' tall and not a single trunk is thicker than 1". Clump style... perhaps raft style. But single trunk? Challenging.

Chinese quince has such a different growth pattern that I wish they wouldn't even share the "quince" name. They couldn't be more different.

Yes, I think we are agreeing on the same point

 

[Michael P]

Nice material and an interesting discussion. I wish my collected clump of stems and suckers looked as good. It was an old garden plant.

Not to hijack, but is it best to repot these before or after they bloom in late winter?

 

[doctorater]

Nice material and an interesting discussion. I wish my collected clump of stems and suckers looked as good. It was an old garden plant.

Not to hijack, but is it best to repot these before or after they bloom in late winter?

This was one of my questions as well. Hopefully an experienced hand with Texas Scarlet can weigh in.

 

[Maiden69]

Chojubai is normally repotted in the fall, as it is susceptible to root galls that develop when repotted in the spring. Almost every search I have done recommends fall repotting, I have a few ScarffsRed that I am growing right now. I plan on repotting one early spring to see how it reacts. They were bought in 3.5" containers and planted into growbags late April and I had no issues.

 

[jimib]

I bought one of these for $7 about five years ago at Lowe’s. I took it home in August, pulled it out of the nursery pot and cut at least 50% off the roots and shoved it into a smaller training pot with garden soil. It didn’t skip a beat. Later that month the end of August, and again in July, I don’t know if it was an animal or wind that knocked it over but the tree was out of the pot and the root ball was completely dried out when I got home from work. I just stuck it back in the pot, watered it and again it just kept growing.
The following spring I took it out of the smaller pot and put it into a pond basket with a 2-1-1 APL mix. Attempting to train into a single trunk has been difficult, but it seems to be doing all right. I’ve cut a couple of the larger ugly roots away and it is a suckering machine. I’m constantly picking those off. But every year in early it gives me a nice display of red flowers.The spring I’ll put it into a nice pot.

 

[Michael P]

Chojubai is normally repotted in the fall, as it is susceptible to root galls that develop when repotted in the spring. Almost every search I have done recommends fall repotting, I have a few ScarffsRed that I am growing right now. I plan on repotting one early spring to see how it reacts. They were bought in 3.5" containers and planted into growbags late April and I had no issues.

Yes, I understand that this is true for chojubai. But my quince is an old unnamed garden plant, and doctorater's tree is the landscape cultivar 'Texas Scarlet'. Does the recommendation for fall repotting apply to our trees as well? I'm not being argumentative, this is something I've wondered about for a while.

 

[doctorater]

I bought one of these for $7 about five years ago at Lowe’s. I took it home in August, pulled it out of the nursery pot and cut at least 50% off the roots and shoved it into a smaller training pot with garden soil. It didn’t skip a beat. Later that month the end of August, and again in July, I don’t know if it was an animal or wind that knocked it over but the tree was out of the pot and the root ball was completely dried out when I got home from work. I just stuck it back in the pot, watered it and again it just kept growing.

Sounds like a tough nut. Thanks for the info. I see you live in Groveport, I grew up in Columbus, and graduated from Ohio State, then the mountain west called me away. I like your tree BTW.

 

[doctorater]

Cool pup! Looks like a nice tree too

My dog told me to tell you that he thinks your dog looks nice and he wants to play.

 

[hinmo24t]

My dog told me to tell you that he thinks your dog looks nice and he wants to play.

garden pups! harlee says hello!

 

[doctorater]

Yes, I understand that this is true for chojubai. But my quince is an old unnamed garden plant, and doctorater's tree is the landscape cultivar 'Texas Scarlet'. Does the recommendation for fall repotting apply to our trees as well? I'm not being argumentative, this is something I've wondered about for a while.

What does your quince think of the Dallas heat?

 

[doctorater]

I’ve had one of these for about a year. Mine is pretty large, it’s in a 24” long grow box. In the early spring, before leaves emerged, I bare rooted it from nursery soil and into 50/50 pumice/akadama.

It did not skip a beat and grew well all year. Roots actually grew out of the box and into the ground in just a month or so. Very vigorous. I think you can be “aggressive” with the roots but that is not a license to completely abuse the plant. It can definitely still die if you go too hard on the roots.

I can’t think of a quince in any style other than a clump/forest/multitrunk design. Just doesn’t make any sense to me to try to make a quince into a tree with a single trunk because…well…because it’s a quince!

Nice material and good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I see where you and Bonsai Nut are coming from on the multi-trunk style and yet if you google "texas scarlet flowering quince as bonsai" and click the images most of them are single trunk. I guess the tree will tell me what it wants to be over time.

 

[Michael P]

My quince is one of the very traditional landscape plants for this area, and came from an abandoned garden at least 50 years old. As typical for this old variety, it looks pretty bad and partly defoliated by the end of the summer. I planted it in my landscape about 9 years ago, then divided it early this spring and potted parts of it in a large nursery pot. It came out of the ground almost bare root and I didn't think it would live. But it did and grew well over the spring and summer. Now I am trying to decide if it has any potential as bonsai. Right now it is truly just sticks in a pot.

 

[doctorater]

Here's an update on the Texas Scarlet above. Gave it a vigorous root prune and a repot in the fall. Pruned branches for structure. Added one piece of wire to change the direction of the main trunk more to my liking. Then left it pretty much alone. Growing fine, but it didn't flower for me this Spring. Moderate amount of suckering needing trimmed out now and then, but no big deal. All in all I definitely am enjoying this tree.

From the presumed front...



And from the presumed back (all subject to change of course).



Will let it all grow freely except that overly thick branch on the right side of the front view. If I can't get it into proportion I may layer it off.