Anyone have a Korean Maple?

Has anyone successfully used Korean Maple as a bonsai... leaf reduction is my biggest question mark. Tks.

I have a Korean maple I bought to use as bonsai stock. It put out a second growth of long shoots with small leaves late summer this year. I'll let you know for certain when I get to that point in say 5-10 years

Oh!, and just as I was leaving the site I saw your post.

I'd get it out of that black pot and into some substrate that is highly pourus, although, it does look real happy where it is.

Good to know that someone else it attempting this tree... I will warn you that the bark is very thin and does not like to be bruised (on older wood). I'd cut/trim it with a rotary disc of some sort (I use 60-80 grit flapper disc on a battery operated Mikita angle grinder), but that practice didn't begin until AFTER I damaged the bark and set the tree back.

If they aren't readily available to you, I'd air layer the top before chopping it off (so you have a second)... your's is the only other one that I know of in North America... although, there are certain to be others.

You are in for a treat when it begins it's fall colours!... Cheers!

@SKBonsaiGuy
Up at the top of every page on this site, over on the right side is an input field that is labelled 'search ...'.
Type 'pseudosieboldianum' in that box and then enter or click the search button and voila! you have a listing of postsabout Korean maple (acer pseudosieboldianum).

Oh, hey!... I was looking for some such thing and I couldn't find it... getting old, can't see, and I tend to "look past" things at times...

... it would have saved the board a myriad of stupid posts on other subjects while I searched through all the sites that I thought were relevant.


Thank you, and Happy Bonsai'n!

SKBonsaiGuy said:

Oh!, and just as I was leaving the site I saw your post.

I'd get it out of that black pot and into some substrate that is highly pourus, although, it does look real happy where it is.

Good to know that someone else it attempting this tree... I will warn you that the bark is very thin and does not like to be bruised (on older wood). I'd cut/trim it with a rotary disc of some sort (I use 60-80 grit flapper disc on a battery operated Mikita angle grinder), but that practice didn't begin until AFTER I damaged the bark and set the tree back.

If they aren't readily available to you, I'd air layer the top before chopping it off (so you have a second)... your's is the only other one that I know of in North America... although, there are certain to be others.

You are in for a treat when it begins it's fall colours!... Cheers!

Click to expand...

SKBonsaiGuy said:

Oh!, and just as I was leaving the site I saw your post.

I'd get it out of that black pot and into some substrate that is highly pourus, although, it does look real happy where it is.

Good to know that someone else it attempting this tree... I will warn you that the bark is very thin and does not like to be bruised (on older wood). I'd cut/trim it with a rotary disc of some sort (I use 60-80 grit flapper disc on a battery operated Mikita angle grinder), but that practice didn't begin until AFTER I damaged the bark and set the tree back.

If they aren't readily available to you, I'd air layer the top before chopping it off (so you have a second)... your's is the only other one that I know of in North America... although, there are certain to be others.

You are in for a treat when it begins it's fall colours!... Cheers!

Click to expand...

I'll have to agree on the thin bark as you can see its all split up the main trunk. The fall colours were neat it went camo red and green, didn't get a picture though. They're definitely not common up here so of it makes it through the winter I want to try and air layer it before chopping. So that probably means I'll repot it the following year. Or I can repot in the spring and do the air layer. Then chop the following spring.

0soyoung said:

@SKBonsaiGuy
Up at the top of every page on this site, over on the right side is an input field that is labelled 'search ...'.
Type 'pseudosieboldianum' in that box and then enter or click the search button and voila! you have a listing of postsabout Korean maple (acer pseudosieboldianum).

Click to expand...

I did this search when I got the thing and again just now. about 6 threads, half the posts are " has anyone tried acer pseudosieboldianum?" and the others mention it in passing. Google is really no help. The pictures of what looks like Korean maple are from aliexpress selling seeds, regular Japanese maples or Korean hornbeams not a widely used species it seems but maybe the closest thing to a Japanese maple that will live up here in theory.

Salcomine said:

I'll have to agree on the thin bark as you can see its all split up the main trunk. The fall colours were neat it went camo red and green, didn't get a picture though. They're definitely not common up here so of it makes it through the winter I want to try and air layer it before chopping. So that probably means I'll repot it the following year. Or I can repot in the spring and do the air layer. Then chop the following spring.

Click to expand...

That trunk looks diseased. The maple doing alright?

thumblessprimate1 said:

That trunk looks diseased. The maple doing alright?

Click to expand...

Seems to be doing fine pushed alot of late growth, same tree as the other picture. This maple is hardy to zone 4 which is pushing it a bit way up in Canada eh. If it survives another year that section of trunk will get removed.

@Dan W. of Backcountry Bonsai has a Korean maple growing outside in Wyoming. Nowhere in Wyoming is warmer than a USDA zone 5; most of it is zone 4 or below.

Salcomine, I saw a reference to "splitting bark" in one of the posts during my search yesterday after Osoyung turned me onto the search feature. It was posted by a member who had a great deal of experience (it seemed anyway) with Japanese Maples. I remember the post saying something about desiccation during the winter... or maybe it was freeze thaw cycles, but he definitely had an answer... I'll try to find it again, I think that post is the key to your problem.

I know that this Korean Maple will survive in the Prairies, because it has been out here for 3 years or more... I think it had some damage on one of the two main trunks, and no one wanted to buy a damaged tree. The manager gave it to me and I didn't hesitate to run away with it... so, if it does die, I'm not out anything, but she claimed they will easily handle zone 3 winters. (This coming winter I don't know about.... it's supposed to be a bitterly cold and long winter...) But, the good news with this forecast is that there doesn't appear that I'll have to worry about a "thaw" till spring.

Here it is;

Posted by Leo in N E Illinois Page 1 of the New and Clueless thread... I hope Leo doesn't mind me copy and pasting his thoughts...

"Korean maple, is a common name, there are several species from Korea, but most likely the plant you have is Acer pseudosieboldianum. The "true" to type form of Acer pseudosieboldianum will have no hairs on the underside of its leaves. It hybridizes easily with Japanese maple, many of the nursery trade plants are actually hybrids. Good news is Acer pseudosieboldianum is more winter hardy than any of the Japanese maples, and this trait is passed on into its hybrids. It is hardy through USDA growing zone 4, (-25 F or to -31 C). You will not have to bring it indoors for winter, it will be hardy in your backyard. If you are in zone 3, you can add protection, by making sure it is buried in the snow, or in a window well, or in a unheated garage that stays a little warmer than outside. Always winter maples outdoors, move them to a shady spot for the winter. Winter sun is what causes frost cracks and winter die back. Sun warms & dries out the branches while the roots are frozen and can not move water back into the branches. "

Thanks to Leo in N E Illinois for that little tid bit of info... Japanese Maples wouldn't make it past the first week of October here on the average year, so it's nice to see something that might.

Salcomine, I looked at the tree damage in the picture again... makes me wonder if someone wasn't moving it around by grabbing it by the trunk... does the damage go into the foliaged areas?... it would be like carrying and emu around by the neck.

Anyway, I have a lot to do for the next while... won't be back for a bit, I hope. (Weeks, months...)

SKBonsaiGuy said:

Salcomine, I looked at the tree damage in the picture again... makes me wonder if someone wasn't moving it around by grabbing it by the trunk... does the damage go into the foliaged areas?... it would be like carrying and emu around by the neck.

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to look that up, apparently you had better success than myself.
The damage doesn't go beyond the mid trunk, more I think about the way they handle trees at nurseries the more I agree with you.

I had one in a grow out pot for a few years,it's now a ornamental tree in my yard,long internodes n growth only really in spring for mine

Salcomine said:

I have a Korean maple I bought to use as bonsai stock. It put out a second growth of long shoots with small leaves late summer this year. I'll let you know for certain when I get to that point in say 5-10 years

Click to expand...

How's it looking after 6?

W.A.S.T.E. said:

How's it looking after 6?

Click to expand...

Ugly

It doesn't lose as much of the tips over winter anymore but I didn't do a very good job at the trunk chop. Probably due for another big clipping.