| leaves burn easily; cut back on water if leaves have dropped; it is suggested to develop the top first with the plant overpotted, then reduce roots last; flowers between January and March; prune back leaving several buds after flowering to enhance the tree’s design; do not prune the tree again until after the winter bloom; wiring should be done in the spring as required; a sustained feeding program will help the tree to tolerate summer heat and Sahara-like winds: shade and wind shielding during these periods will mitigate leaf damage; however, the tree can be completely defoliated in mid-to-late spring; do NOT use lime sulphur on; new growth lignifies quickly, so wire new growth soon after it emerges, and then monitor the wire on young growth because it will quickly scar; leaf spot fungus is most easily treated by simply pinching away the diseased leaves; to mitigate fungal problems, do not water the foliage on a daily basis; aggressively feed this tree until the design object is achieved by applying high Nitrogen fertilizers, such as a 20-20-20 NPK, and prune aggressively to promote ramification development, once this is achieved, back off on the aggressive or superfeeding to promote flower bud development; blooms on the prior year’s wood, that is, the buds develop during the growing season of the year before. When pruning, do not remove all the flower buds; best time to modestly prune is just after the winter flowering; a little more info is here. [Rosaceae; Rosales] |