Repotting chojubai in fall

When do you repot your chojubai bonsai? They’re one of a handful of varieties that can be successfully repotted at different times of the year.

I planted a chojubai in a small container last winter ahead of an exhibit, but didn’t get around to putting the tree back into a larger pot for the growing season. As a result, the tree grew slowly this year. (For more about weak chojubai, see Michael Hagedorn’s post on the topic, “Why is my chojubai weak?“)

Here is the tree before repotting.

Japanese flowering quince ‘chojubai’

And here is the tree after repotting it in a larger container.

In the new pot

As the tree is in a relatively early stage of development, I want as much root growth as possible. With healthy roots, I can expect longer shoots which will speed up branch ramification.

I also go out of my way to remove any flower buds or fruit that might be developing. Unless a chojubai is exhibit bound, I try to remove all flowers before they develop into fruit as fruit production requires effort that could otherwise be invested in new foliage.

Chojubai fruit and flowers

The same goes for white chojubai.

White chojubai fruit and flower

The tree above is in need of cutback and wiring, but I plan to wait until the tree starts growing vigorously before slowing it down again by pruning.

Workshop Update

If you’re in Northern California and looking for a bring-your-own-tree workshop, I’ve added additional dates through the next few months.

• November 5
• November 18
• December 2
• December 3
• January 13
• January 14

Learn more or sign up online here.