Prunus Mume

correct me if im wrong but this is why many if not all ume in Japan are grafted every 5? years so that they can have fantastic branching and flowering all in one?

It's not always every 5 years, but when the silhouette of the tree is getting out of the range for the trunk size and style. At Kouka-en, I have watched many go from grafting (Tokyo in February) to well ramified in a matter of years. An article will be released by Kinbon either this year or perhaps next on one of my favorite ume. I'll try and track down a good photo of the tree. I know it's on the "Bonsai Journey" YouTube series by Andrew Selman from Australia.

The issue with very old ume is that as the bark fissures and ages, new buds don't pop from this type of tissue. Grafting scions with 3-5 buds on the outside bends of exiting branches solves this issue. Our trees are always done with the "baggie with a piece of sphagnum moss" method and they are wired a few months after grafting. Old foliage futher out on each branch is removed slowly if the graft unions take well. Branches that fail are grafted the following year but it has not been necessary in the past two years I experienced there.

The process is also done to switch the flower color; Omoi-no-mama (Pink and white on different branches) and Hibai (Scarletish pink and not red as the name implies) have become more popular and I even saw a weeping cultivar recently grafted to a giant one at Mansei-en last year.

I'll be writing an article or blog post about all this in detail when I get the time. Ume is my favorite species for deciduous bonsai and I'll be making some from old trunks in the coming years. The hard part is finding one and then prying it loose from the owner..... ;)
 
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Here it is. And it is heavy!

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Here's one a few months after grafting I styled.
 
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I got a jump on the growing season this spring wit my cold greenhouse. I mentioned earlier this year I was going to attempt an air layer on Prunus Mume Contorta even though I'd heard from several people you can't air layer Ume. I placed 2 air layers on my tree in very early spring / late winter. Used live spagnum moss wrapped with syran wrap wrapped with aluminum foil. One of the air layers died back within a month. The other stayed green. I Checked on it in mid march and saw the beginning of roots. It's a nice green now and is pushing new growth on that branch. Thinking ill leave it till fall before removing it.
 
I got a jump on the growing season this spring wit my cold greenhouse. I mentioned earlier this year I was going to attempt an air layer on Prunus Mume Contorta even though I'd heard from several people you can't air layer Ume. I placed 2 air layers on my tree in very early spring / late winter. Used live spagnum moss wrapped with syran wrap wrapped with aluminum foil. One of the air layers died back within a month. The other stayed green. I Checked on it in mid march and saw the beginning of roots. It's a nice green now and is pushing new growth on that branch. Thinking ill leave it till fall before removing it.

I've layered 'Contorta' successfully in the past. June (Nashville, TN) with 1 inch long cut all the way around. Painted with Indolebuteric Acid (which may not be necessary) and removed in October full of roots. Cool plant but hard to predict where it will swell trunk-wise long term.
 
I've layered 'Contorta' successfully in the past. June (Nashville, TN) with 1 inch long cut all the way around. Painted with Indolebuteric Acid (which may not be necessary) and removed in October full of roots. Cool plant but hard to predict where it will swell trunk-wise long term.

I've only had this one for a little over a year, does it bulge on it's own trunk as well? I assumed the bulging was because of the graft as it was at the graft union.
 
I've only had this one for a little over a year, does it bulge on it's own trunk as well? I assumed the bulging was because of the graft as it was at the graft union.

Yes. The contortions are unpredictable as are the points at which they swell. I layered mine off one of the original stock plants in America and it was wonderfully messed up looking. Sharp turns or loops seemed to swell fastest. My air layers found new homes but I'll look into it. Grafted ones do thicken faster.
 
Owen, do you think we will start using our own native prunus trunks and grafting ume varities to them here? Is this possible?
 
Owen, for growing trunks in the ground, when is the best time to chop them back to start forming the next section? Their growth patterns are a little different, so I can't decide if its early spring like a trident, or mid summer, or some other time...
 
Thats a great looking tree!
Whats your soil mix on this one?

I just picked up a 1 gallon mume from Brent and will need to repot in a few months. Also, would the potting mix be similar for a quince?
 
Owen, do you think we will start using our own native prunus trunks and grafting ume varities to them here? Is this possible?

I'm looking into using Prunus angustifolia aka Chickasaw Plum. I have a few collected ones and one is a semi-cascade with a barber pole shari and rough bark just like ume. Flowers open in winter without leaves so it's the best candidate I've found thusfar. Frankly, I don't think it needs the Prunus mume grafted onto it. The dime-size white flowers are simple and single.

If I were to graft ume onto something, I'd go with Prunus persica, Prunus dulcis? (pretty sure that's almond), or another fruit tree we have in America for fruit production; much bigger trunks to be found in the orchards and they may have borer damage......
 
Owen, for growing trunks in the ground, when is the best time to chop them back to start forming the next section? Their growth patterns are a little different, so I can't decide if its early spring like a trident, or mid summer, or some other time...

That's a good question. I cut mine back after they leaf out in Spring as sometimes the buds you see on a branch / trunk are not actually viable. I've cut a big one back 3 times in a year but most were pencil-size or smaller. There may be a "best" time, but I don't know it.
 
Thats a great looking tree!
Whats your soil mix on this one?

I just picked up a 1 gallon mume from Brent and will need to repot in a few months. Also, would the potting mix be similar for a quince?

I have used Aoki Blend and used the size-grade according to the size of the tree. I do not answer any soil or water questions (like give direct advice online). America is too big and I don't know how you water, your micro-climate, etc. etc. I'd consult a local seasoned bonsai collector or pro.
 
We had some native plums in our back yard; probably Chickasaw. They smelled SO good when blooming. Several seedlings sprouted in the area and developed some girth, but none of them survived digging, even with decent roots. They should be great for local/native bonsai, hopefully you have better luck transplanting.

NYBonsai, I'll take a shot of my 1-gal Ume from Brent; it's been in the ground for 3-4 years and is probably 12' tall now. I need to prune it back, just can't really figure out when...
 
NYBonsai, I'll take a shot of my 1-gal Ume from Brent; it's been in the ground for 3-4 years and is probably 12' tall now. I need to prune it back, just can't really figure out when...
Please keep us posted on this...I have an ume in the ground that will require chopping at some point as well.

Chris
 
Brian, I just went back and read your series of ume posts on your blog. Thanks for all of the great information! I wish I'd read them earlier...lol. The leaves on mine have been curled most of the season, and now I know that it's not necessarily a bad thing. I see s lot of flower buds emerging!
 
A couple updates on the one in the ground...
I cut it back to test the response before I cut it back hard next spring. It did bud-back well, but randomly. I'll probably let it grow another year or so, then chop it just above the previous chop.
 

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Flower buds swelling on the potted ume...
 

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Wow. That's early. We'll have to look at it when I come down later this month.
 
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