Owen Reich
Shohin
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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.....
