New to bonsai - First tree

[MarkB1209]

Hi all. Im completely new to Bonsai and gardening in general so forgive me if these are some silly questions. I recently got this Japanese Maple. Is this a viable bonsai? And if so what should be my next steps. Just leave as is for now? Repotting and trimming the roots? Pruning?
I’ve done my research but I’m still not exactly sure what direction to go in and I’m trying to avoid as many mistakes as possible. Thanks.

 

[TrevorLarsen]

I would just let it grow for a few years just to thicken it up, but if you want to work on it sooner I would at least wait until next spring right when it starts to wake up to repot it. I would also prune it if there are too many branches coming out of one spot so you don’t get inverse taper. Other than that just let it grow. Anything you cut off will set the tree back because you are removing solar panels that take a while to regrow.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Any tree can be a bonsai. Some are better suited than others. This looks like a beautiful red japanese maple of some sort. Red varieties have a tendency to keep larger leaves so you'll want to plan for a larger scale tree. Around 3' may be good? So to make it proportional it'll take time to grow.
Next spring before the buds start opening you'll want to take it out of the pot, sort and spread the roots, and put it in a larger pot or even the ground. And check the roots every other year while it's training. I would not prune too many branches until it's very large. You'll want the trunk to be near the finished diameter before you get chopping.
While your growing this one I suggest you start some more projects. Look around on here and everywhere you can to find inspiration and more ideas. A medium size tree is much faster to do than a big one and easier to keep and maintain than a small or tiny one.

 

[MarkB1209]

I would just let it grow for a few years just to thicken it up, but if you want to work on it sooner I would at least wait until next spring right when it starts to wake up to repot it. I would also prune it if there are too many branches coming out of one spot so you don’t get inverse taper. Other than that just let it grow. Anything you cut off will set the tree back because you are removing solar panels that take a while to regrow.

Yeah I figured I would have to let I grow out but I wasn’t sure. I’ll have a look tomorrow to see if there are too many branches coming from the same spot. Thanks for the advice.

 

[MarkB1209]

Any tree can be a bonsai. Some are better suited than others. This looks like a beautiful red japanese maple of some sort. Red varieties have a tendency to keep larger leaves so you'll want to plan for a larger scale tree. Around 3' may be good? So to make it proportional it'll take time to grow.
Next spring before the buds start opening you'll want to take it out of the pot, sort and spread the roots, and put it in a larger pot or even the ground. And check the roots every other year while it's training. I would not prune too many branches until it's very large. You'll want the trunk to be near the finished diameter before you get chopping.
While your growing this one I suggest you start some more projects. Look around on here and everywhere you can to find inspiration and more ideas. A medium size tree is much faster to do than a big one and easier to keep and maintain than a small or tiny one.

It’s a Beni-Maiko according to the label at least. I have room to plant in the ground but the soil quality is really poor so I think I’ll put it in a larger pot. Thank you for the advice. I’m definitely planning on getting something I can work on in the meantime.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Oh my goodness! Beni Maiko! Now we're talking a whole nother animal! Beni Maiko is a wonderful choice! It can be any size, but small or medium is best! So now picture something 12-24". The rest I'd the same, but could be accomplished in a shorter time. I like to use wooden grow boxes when and where I can. There are lots of descriptions and designs on here and elsewhere online. I use fence boards. Cedar 1x is better but more expensive. Mostly the 5.5" though could be cut to any dimensions you think is good. My suggestion is 12x13x5.5 which when assembled is about 5 gallons. LxWxH÷132 for gallons. Inner dimensions would be 12x12x5 with half inch to rim. This should be a good start size for the next couple years.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

 

[Ininaatigoons]

This one is on the bigger side 24x24 and is very heavy! Also, I will drill more drainage holes when I find a tree for this one. I had one 36x36 and never again! LOL Imagine all the soil and then add a tree! Anyways that should give some idea of the next step. One thing I've found to be useful is fiberglass tape that is used for finishing dry wall or the stuff for windows or even staple screen to the bottom. Soil... Now that's a whole new can of worms. For growing I use a mix of aged pine bark, peat, and perlite. The mix is different by location. Dry and hot lots of peat, wet and cool lots of perlite.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

I don't want to get too far ahead or turn you off, but first step is grow don't cut nothing. Then you may probably want to airlayer when it's bigger and take cuttings. Any branches that grow now and the next few years won't be part of finished design so don't cut anything just grow and get acquainted with your cultivar.

 

[ERClover]

First and foremost, welcome! Being only a couple years in myself I can tell you finding this forum has been the single most valuable tool I’ve discovered since beginning my own bonsai journey. It’s been so fulfilling already and I ballooned from an initial 3 trees very quickly. Don’t be surprised if the same happens to you!

You will find a lot of info out there about bonsai and much of it can at times be contradictory. Part of the reason for this is that there definitely are multiples ways to go about different decisions in how to design and care for your trees. I’ve always gotten great, willing advice here though and there are some very knowledgeable and gracious people.

Look around, absorb everything you can, and most of all enjoy it!

 

[Ininaatigoons]

One more thing... Check out YouTube channels. There are so many from anyone can do it to clinical. One I want to suggest at this point is MrMaple top 20 Japanese Maples for bonsai

 

[MarkB1209]

Oh my goodness! Beni Maiko! Now we're talking a whole nother animal! Beni Maiko is a wonderful choice! It can be any size, but small or medium is best! So now picture something 12-24". The rest I'd the same, but could be accomplished in a shorter time. I like to use wooden grow boxes when and where I can. There are lots of descriptions and designs on here and elsewhere online. I use fence boards. Cedar 1x is better but more expensive. Mostly the 5.5" though could be cut to any dimensions you think is good. My suggestion is 12x13x5.5 which when assembled is about 5 gallons. LxWxH÷132 for gallons. Inner dimensions would be 12x12x5 with half inch to rim. This should be a good start size for the next couple years.

Wow thank you so much for all the advice. Just for clarification though, would you transfer it into a wooden grow box now or next Spring?

 

[MarkB1209]

Also for YouTube channels I’ve been watching a few. I’ll be sure to check out MrMaple.

 

[MarkB1209]

First and foremost, welcome! Being only a couple years in myself I can tell you finding this forum has been the single most valuable tool I’ve discovered since beginning my own bonsai journey. It’s been so fulfilling already and I ballooned from an initial 3 trees very quickly. Don’t be surprised if the same happens to you!

You will find a lot of info out there about bonsai and much of it can at times be contradictory. Part of the reason for this is that there definitely are multiples ways to go about different decisions in how to design and care for your trees. I’ve always gotten great, willing advice here though and there are some very knowledgeable and gracious people.

Look around, absorb everything you can, and most of all enjoy it!

Thank you. Ive already found this forum very helpful. I agree about the contradictory advice. It’s made a little confusing for a beginne. Im sure I’ll figure it out through trial and error.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Do it next spring when it's about to start growing again. So you can do the root work more safely. There is no harm in keeping it in it's pot and learning water. That is something that is most important and usually overlooked. In a tall pot it's easier to start. With Japanese Maples I use the finger test. Let it dry about 1/2" to give it time to breathe. Don't keep it soggy and don't let it dry out. Always check before watering until you get the rhythm and timing. It changes all the time. Big differences between hot and windy days and cool humid ones. Crazy. It could be twice a day or a week or more.

 

[Baku1875]

great advice so far in this thread.

Design-wise, the goals of early bonsai work IMO are
1)Trunk thickness to achieve proportion to the final bonsai pot size. Let the tree put on as much foliage as possible. Put it in a growbox like suggested, or a large/wide pot so that roots can grow laterally.

2)Attractive radial nebari/root flare. Raking the roots radially from the top and snipping any that dont suit your desired look, then cover them with soil again at least every few years. The objective is 'organized radial growth'.

3)Preventing reverse taper or bulges as you move up the trunk. Taper means from thick to thin. Same applies to branch thicknesses from low to high. Sometimes I try to establish these things early, THEN let a tree grow outward and 'hedge' it like bushes to maintain that pyramid structure until it's time to start wiring. Look for overly thick branches high up, and junctions of the trunk where multiple strong branches are feeding the same location. It isn't necessary to remove every 'cross' junction in a tree as long as the branches that are feeding that location have fewer leaves and arent as strong as the next lower branch.

*What I would do if I had that tree right now?*
Slip pot it into a much wider and larger container or growbox without damaging the roots, and use a similar or slightly more inorganic soil mix than what it is in currently (dissimilar soil mixes create issues, so even when up potting you want to try to come close to matching soil material). You can 'up pot' any time of year because it does not involve damage. It's root work that involves cutting and raking, or 'down potting' that needs to be timed carefully because it involves compromising your tree's health.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Baku1875 has a good point. This is still fairly early in the season, but too late for root work. Definitely enough time for some establishment this season.
Top growth, root growth, establishment. Something to consider is that during the first year a tree establishes in its new environment so root growth is faster at the expense of top growth. Very good possibility that the tree was potted in the last year already for sale. When a maple trees roots reach the edges and start to fill a pot it is a full top growth until it's roots are really close to full capacity. In organic rich soil this also help with the wet/dry cycle (speeding it up) which also aids in growth.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

I just watched YouTube growing bonsai by Jelle. Starting with bonsai made easy. It came out today. A lot to take in, in less than a half hour, but right on timing.

 

[ERClover]

You may already be aware but he posts on this forum under the name @leatherback .

I have gotten a ton of information and enjoyment out of his videos.

 

[leatherback]

I just watched YouTube growing bonsai by Jelle. Starting with bonsai made easy. It came out today. A lot to take in, in less than a half hour, but right on timing.

I find the guy a little long-winded. Spends too much time behind a camera and editing software, and too little working his trees. You would think he would not have time to waste on a forum but hey..

he posts on this forum under the name @leatherback .

[thx for the connect]

In any case, I think this is the vid suggested, which I created to provide some background story on growing bonsai. No detailed techniques, but more, where to start, what to know before diving in. And then.. Dive In!

and @mark-kramer@colo this part of that vid is articularly interesting for you I think:
(But repotting now is too late)