You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘chojubai’ tag.
This year i have gone a little Chojubai crazy with a lot of them on the go. The below tree hasn’t helped bench space matters at all as it has multiplied!
Above: the clump in it’s larger form.
I had originally been growing it as a larger clump but after seeing how it had developed since last re-potting i decided that there were actually two nicer smaller clumps within the mass of trunks.
So i set about breaking it up and finding pots for the two settings.
Above: The two smaller clumps that i split out of the larger planting.
I think both smaller plantings have some great characteristics in their own right and they should continue to develop into interesting trees.
I really love Chojubai and would recommend everyone gets a few into their collections!
I have re-potted most of my chojubai this year but this tree, i decided could go another season. That’s not to say it escaped the work bench…….
After another year of development it was again looking a bit ‘all over the place’ so i began by busting out the mini-pressure washer and removing the moss from the trunks and soil surface and pondered what to do next.
Above: Post clean up.
For anyone who grows small clumps, you will know just how difficult it can be to wire the individual trunk lines so in this case i Jerry-rigged a wire around the pot rim which i used to attach tie down wires to to lower and adjust the the various trunks and branches into positions i was more happy with.
Above: Post adjustments
The aim was to spread the clump out a little more and even out the density of branching more evenly across the canopy. I started with the outer most shoots and worked my way into the center of the group as i went. I think it’s shaping up well.
Chojubai are a great species to grow. They are fast to develop, grow easily from cutting and as the above tree shows, you can go from a handful of cuttings to a little clump setting in a fairly short period of time.
Another quick update for the trees shown in THIS post.
Everything is slowly improving year in year out and I am becoming particularly fond of the one in the Bikou pot. This tree was one of the original Chojubai in the country (a cutting from one of the plants imported in the 90’s).. It belonged to the late Richard Salvado, a friend and proponent of mini and shohin bonsai in Australia at a time when big trees were all the rage.
He originally found chojubai in someone’s backyard, planted as an accent in an imported tree. He took a cutting (which i think out survived the original specimen) and later spread the variety to those who were interested. He was ahead of the curve in regard to the small bonsai craze and its a nice memento of him and his broader influence.
Chojubai are one of my favorite species. Very easy to grow and propagate and providing you are looking to grow small clumps, they can be developed very quickly.
The trees in this post were essentially grown from a number of cuttings all struck in one pot. They have established good root systems and are now growing into nice clump style bonsai. They have a long way to go and ideally I’d like the canopy to perhaps double in size but the bones are there for some nice trees.
This tree is a little over potted as it had spent the last year in a much smaller pot and i am looking to build it’s strength this season. 
First bonsai pot for this clump 
Only a year or two from cuttings. Again the first bonsai pot for this tree.
The first tree was from a close friend who passed away. He had grown it from a cutting that came from a plant that was originally imported in the early 1990’s along with some impressive maples by a prominent Victorian grower. It sat in isolation in this collection for years before we realised what it was and how lucky we were to have it in Australia. Since that point it found its way into the hands of several growers who have propagated it and distributed it so that it will stay available to the Australian bonsai community going forward.
The great thing about growing these is every time you prune you end up with a pile of cuttings which in turn become new bonsai. If you don’t have one, they are fairly well available in Australia and at least at Victorian shows, I often have seen them for sale on club tables.
With all they have going for them; Small leaves, tiny profuse red flowers and fast growth rate everyone should be growing this species!
For those that already grow them, there is an argument for repotting them in summer which is another interesting option. Michael Hagedorn has a good series of articles on Chojubai over on his blog for those interested including going into detail into the repotting in summer technique (CLICK HERE).
I have developed a healthy obsession with the dwarf flowering quince ‘Chojubai’. While looking over my photos this became very evident as I had taken photos of many of them even if they were merely being used as accents. I am sure that if you look over the below images you can see why I enjoy them so much.
Nichigo Bonsai 