Pain and Terror in North Carolina

MacInOakRidge

I bought this Poncirus Trifoliata v. monstrosa from a nursery yesterday. When I was in the Marines a similar plant was used for hedges to keep people out of places they had no business being. We called it Pain and Terror Bush.

It is a hardy citrus. Common name is Bitter Orange and Japanese Hardy Orange. This variety is also called "Flying Dragon".

It is in a three gallon pot. The trunk is a little over 1" in diameter at the soil level.

My intention is to air layer about 1 foot up and take that air layer and start another plant in the ground. The base will become a bonsai. the top will be where you see the V shape of branches about 10" up the trunk. That is a limb that leans out from the main trunk for about 1" and then forks into a V. It is just a natrual place to cut the main trunk off. Then I'll take off all the clutter around the base of the trunk and start styling the branching to see what I can come up with that looks good. I may or may not leave that strong shoot coming off the left side just above the ground. I am sure it would add to the trunk thickness if I left it on for a while but I haven't decided yet.

If anyone has suggestions on the inital trimming of this, please jump in. Anyone else that has this plant as a bonsai?

It will have white blooms and produce a small orange looking fruit. It drops it leaves in winter. In the close up of the branching, near the middle of the photo you can see a few leaves that have started to break out. They look kind of like three leaved clover. Hence "trifoliata".

All in all an interesting small tree that may develop in to something quite nice.

Attached Images

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BarbaraM

OUCH. It looks ruthless. I read that Poncirus Trifoliata v. monstrosa is used as a root stock in Morocco because it has some disease resistance. I also read, "(Poncirus trifoliata Var monstrosa) is the only known "true dwarfing rootstock" for citrus trees". I wonder what the cold tolerance is? Being a citrus I bet it has to stay temperate.

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"What I like about bonsai is that it has a beginning but no end. A bud today becomes a branch tomorrow. It is like searching for the rainbw's end; the farther it is pursued, the farther away it is." John Naka

Brent

I have a quite large one in a 20 gal pot, not even in the ground. Last year it survived 12F on a couple of nights, and a week of night temps below 19F. I have lost gallon size ones though in sub 20F temperatures.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

MacInOakRidge

The nursery I got it from said that it would grow in Zone 4.

Repotter

I have seen them growing here in S. Michigan zone 5 in the ground. And up to 7 feet tall.

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"Anything is possible when you don't know what you are doing"................someone famous I think.

JohnQuinn

"If anyone has suggestions on the inital trimming of this, please jump in..."

Is your tetanus booster up to date??

I have looked at some interesting garden center stock but have not taken the next step.

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Interplast

Sivananda Center

Vonsgardens

Interesting novelty tree. We got some seeds from the nice folks at miniature plant kingdom (Don and Becky). I have the non-twisting form in the ground in NW arkansas and it has survived -10 in the ground, with some branch loss.

Bonsai? Interesting, don't know why not..... but then again I couldn't say why either.

John

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MacInOakRidge

Here is a photo after the air layer was applied today.

The red is what will be cut off later. The main stem cut when I take the air layer and the very low side shoot when I feel like it.

Then I'll cut back on the branching and let it redevelop with some control of where and how much.

Attached Images

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