This Hybrid Maple just won't grow at all...

View attachment 150172 This little Maple was given to me by the owner of my local Bonsai Nursey. When I first seen it I was amazed on how exotic it looked. The leaves are shaped like the Jap Maple, but not as fine detailed. The other thing that was pretty cool about it was that it had this red outline around the outside of the leaves. Anyways the problem I'm having is that it just won't grow. I got it around the end of April and it looks great and healthy but won't show any new growth or even height. Only thing that has changed it the red is gone. Been almost 2 months now in the spring season! It's living along side my other Jap Maples and they're thriving, growing like crazy. Bright morning sun and afternoon shade. It's on a balanced fert 2 week schedule like the others as well. Even tried more shade and more light, nothing? What could possibly be going on? Been doing bonsai almost 4 years with a big collection of different spieces and the only time I see lack of growing of any of my trees is during summer dormancy or when I have a tree in to much shade. Even then it will show some leggy growth. What the hell going on here ha ha!!!

First 2 pictures is when I first got it
Other pictures are of the tree now.

Is this a cutting that was rooted just last year?

I have no clue. I didn't even ask. Also I believe hebsaid somethjng like "3 of them came in on a shipment of different trees ordered" but if so I'm assuming that is the problem?

Now looking at it there is probably a strong chance it is. Does look like it could be top or side branch cutting. Is this the only thing I will exspect for the 1st year?

It's possible that what you have is a dwarf variety. They can be very stubborn in the production of new wood.

It looks like a dwarf. Try trimming it give more shade.

This sort of stuff happens all the time with mapples. It is a nature thing. Don't rush it....it not nice to piss off Mother Nature!

This is probably a job for Supperthrive:

Just be careful to stand back when you apply it so you don't get poked in the eye by a fast-growing shoot.

Don't forget about this....

...and this....

Brian Van Fleet said:

This is probably a job for Supperthrive:
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Just be careful to stand back when you apply it so you don't get poked in the eye by a fast-growing shoot.

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Will this supperthrive work on mapples?

Weird, stuff listed here sounds like supplements I used to get when I was going to the gym.....now I get why my pee was really green.
And supperthrive tastes like veggggie paste.



Leave it alone, it'll grow?

Smoke said:

Will this supperthrive work on mapples?

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Superthrive and HB101 are vitamins which are not it falls but can be useful to perk up a sagging plant. High nitrogen fertilizer is more likely to jumpstart it. Use both.

twisted trees said:

Superthrive and HB101 are vitamins which are not it falls but can be useful to perk up a sagging plant. High nitrogen fertilizer is more likely to jumpstart it. Use both.

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Super thrive is basicly B-1
HB101 is a sterilent. It protects the plant against infection. It would do better good at cleaning your tools to prevent infection than it does on a plant. A quarter teaspoon of Hexol in a gallon of water will do the same thing and actually contains Nh3, simple fertilizer and sterilizer.

If it makes you feel better use these damn expensive gimmicks. Keep healthy thriving plants with work and brains and you will have no need to spend this money. You could then by a nice import pot for the price of both of them combined over the course of a season.

twisted trees said:

It looks like a dwarf. Try trimming it give more shade.

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What should I trim? Just cut some leaves off? Doesn't really have any branching.

Bonsaikev1985 said:

What should I trim? Just cut some leaves off? Doesn't really have any branching.

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Cut the ends back to 2 or 3 sets of leaves.

twisted trees said:

Superthrive and HB101 are vitamins which are not it falls but can be useful to perk up a sagging plant. High nitrogen fertilizer is more likely to jumpstart it. Use both.

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I find that when I use a high Nitrogen fert my Maple leave tips brown or they start to get this ugly black spots which grow and make the leafs eventually wither up. This happen to me last year and I thought it was some kind of disease. Eventually in time I ended up taking on the leaves off over a period of time and all new growth grew back fine and it eventually happen again soon after ferting. So I assumed the fert I was using. It was a balanced 20-20-20 fert with no Micros. Winter came and went, spring arrived so I used Miracal Grow, because it was all I had at the time, it had micros, and it's all I had at the time. Everything was growing great then I tried the 20-20-20 again last fert like a idoit and made my leaves they same way again. Even my new Maples I got this year. So now I'm using Liquid Kelp and Sumo Cakes. Every hear of Maples doing that from a Fert?

The real question is, "How do you like the mapples?"

Smoke said:

Will this supperthrive work on mapples?

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Nope. I use 12-20 Biogold cakes at a time, or Plant Tone (when I have time to make my own), and douse them with a heavy dose of fish emulsion every few days; like 1/2 c per gallon of water. No burnt leaves so far. It's also in 100% full sun from dawn until about 3:00 PM.

Brian Van Fleet said:

Nope. I use 12-20 Biogold cakes at a time, or Plant Tone (when I have time to make my own), and douse them with a heavy dose of fish emulsion every few days; like 1/2 c per gallon of water. No burnt leaves so far. It's also in 100% full sun from dawn until about 3:00 PM.
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Me too, such a mystery these trees....

Fertilizer management is what it is all about this time of year.

about 92 right now... but headin north later. Check out that moss in July and that hair! Man I need a haircut