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quince collection in the fall?
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Posted by tinyfrogs z7 NC (My Page) on Sat, Aug 27, 11 at 10:34
| I may be able to claim a landscape quince. It is huge. Currently about 6 ft tall with a clump of trunks at least 1 ft in diameter. There are a few fruits and plenty of leaves.
If I am going to claim this plant it may need to happen before the year runs out. I don't have much experience with collecting from the ground for bonsai, let alone quince. There is a thread from a few years ago about springtime collection of a quince up in the mountains from here. They sound tough.
1. Is it safe to collect this fall, like right after the leaves drop?
2. What technique? Cut out the top, then dig out as much of the roots as possible, then root prune? Or are people serious when they post about wrapping a chain around a plant and yanking it out with a truck?
3. Then what? Plant in a large container with a bonsai mix for a few years? I've been using a pine chip/turface blend that appears to do fine with the glorified tropical houseplants I've been growing lately, but I want to get back into growing temperate trees again.
Thanks. |
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RE: quince collection in the fall?
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- Posted by tapla z5b-6a mid-MI (My Page) on
Sat, Aug 27, 11 at 12:18
| Lop off the top & collect after the leaves fall. Bare-root and place in a large container with GOOD soil. Protect the roots from freezing temps, as the newly formed roots will be very important in the spring, and roots will continue to grow during the winter if the soil is warm enough. 35-42* would be considered ideal for over-wintering root temps. Skip the chain - NOT a prized collection method. ;-) You'll probably want to let the plant grow wild for at least a year before you start in on reducing the roots and branch/stem/trunk selection. Fertilize WELL after buds break in spring. Al |
RE: quince collection in the fall?
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| Can we see a picture of this quince? |
RE: quince collection in the fall?
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| I took a picture, but I can't figure out how to post photos in this forum. I've taken a closer look at the shrub. It's about 7 ft high, wide, and deep. There are several dozen trunks in the clump, which is over 24" in one dimension. I think it is an oval-shaped clump, so the other dimension is about 12", but since it is growing up against a yucca I can't get a good look without risking attack from that plant. Digging the quince out is going to be interesting. Thanks. |
RE: quince collection in the fall?
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| try to excavate as much of the rootball as possible and keep as many of the fine root hairs as possible as that will be the most important factor in the trees health and survival rate. Also try to keep whats above ground as equally proportionate as possible to what is collected bellow ground. |
RE: quince collection in the fall?
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| So I was able or forced to hold off on collecting the quince. It never dropped leaves on the bottom third of the plant. It has a southern exposure against the wall, with the furnace outlet a few feet away, and the grass is still green in the area. On the north side of the house, two smaller and uglier quinces have no leaves and quite a few flowers. Go figure. I have a huge plastic pot and fresh bark and turface ready for my quince, but now I need to decide whether to dig NOWnownow or wait for signs of leaves. Any thoughts? I have a few plants to collect this year: my old native Wisteria that a friend no longer wants bullying his garden, a weird hybrid citrus bush, a japanese holly. Is starting now (mid January, zone 7 or 8) too soon? The weather has been dry and not that cold so far. Thanks. |
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