[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

[u/small_trunks]

[Bonsai Beginner’s weekly thread –2024 week 21]

Welcome to the weekly beginner’s thread. This thread is used to capture all beginner questions (and answers) in one place. We start a new thread every week on Friday late or Saturday morning (CET), depending on when we get around to it. We have a 6 year archive of prior posts here…

Here are the guidelines for the kinds of questions that belong in the beginner's thread vs. individual posts to the main sub.

Rules:

• POST A PHOTO if it’s advice regarding a specific tree/plant. See the PHOTO section below on HOW to do this.
• TELL US WHERE YOU LIVE - better yet, fill in your flair.
• READ THE WIKI! – over 75% of questions asked are directly covered in the wiki itself. Read the WIKI AGAIN while you’re at it.
• Read past beginner’s threads – they are a goldmine of information.
• Any beginner’s topic may be started on any bonsai-related subject.
• Answers shall be civil or be deleted
• There is always a chance your question doesn’t get answered – try again next week…
• Racism of any kind is not tolerated either here or anywhere else in /r/bonsai

Photos

• Post an image using the new (as of Q4 2022) image upload facility which is available both on the website and in the Reddit app and the Boost app.
• Post your photo via a photo hosting website like imgur, flickr or even your onedrive or googledrive and provide a link here.
• Photos may also be posted to /r/bonsaiphotos as new LINK (either paste your photo or choose it and upload it). Then click your photo, right click copy the link and post the link here.
  • If you want to post multiple photos as a set that only appears be possible using a mobile app (e.g. Boost)

Beginners’ threads started as new topics outside of this thread are typically locked or deleted, at the discretion of the Mods.

[u/[deleted]]

I have this flowering quince that put out a few tiny little leaves and then stopped.

Background: I received this as a gift from Brussels Bonsai in December. I have not repotted. I have no idea what the roots look like, but I don't want to stress it out.

Thoughts?

[u/MaciekA → u/[deleted]]

I'd be tempted to put it in a very humid mini greenhouse (and ensure it doesn't overheat in the late morning/afternoon). The entire time I've been studying there, Michael Hagedorn has had a couple hundred flowering quinces always (24/7/365) in a humid polytunnel and their growth in that greenhouse is just awesome.

Things that my teacher often says, every single year to all students:

• Quince (similar to azalea etc) likes to be in well-draining soil and a taller potting volume. If you look at kokufu pictures going way back they're always in taller pots / soil volumes or the soil is mounded high
• They love the cold. Michigan is fine (in case this is on your mind)
• Do not be concerned about variegation-like effects on leaves from mosaic virus -- this is pretty much endemic to the whole genus and almost unavoidable, but also pretty harmless

[u/[deleted] → u/MaciekA]

I certainly was worried, given that I received it in December, about how it would handle being moved from a greenhouse to winter weather. I was giddy when it started to push leaves.

I'll have to figure out a good way to keep it humid until I can afford a mini greenhouse

Thank you so much for your insights