kalare
Sapling
Hi all,
My wife and I just recently purchased a house with what I believe to be a Japanese maple (I could be horrible wrong) in the front garden. It has however been butchered by the previous owners and needs some serious work. I've always loved bonsai since I was a child and my recent trips to Redwood and Sequoia National Parks has resparked my interest.
Since I was contemplating tearing the tree out anyways, I thought it'd be a great learning platform for me at a cost of zero dollars. The tree is approximately 30" tall and has a 3" trunk with non-existent taper. I'd love to turn this into an 18"-24" bonsai eventually.
So, I'm here asking for advice as a complete newbie. I'm thinking chop it to 6-12", chop off the branches at the base (maybe leave one just for vigor?) and wait till next season to see what happens and work roots then? I'm thinking chopping to 12" might be better, then I can chose a new branch to create the new apex and chop down to that next year? There are what look like (to me) decent roots on one side of the trunk, however on the other side it drops 1/2" or so into the soil and then slightly flares out. Maybe root graft on that side in the future? Or at the same time as the chop?
Apologies for the deluge of questions and any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated!
My wife and I just recently purchased a house with what I believe to be a Japanese maple (I could be horrible wrong) in the front garden. It has however been butchered by the previous owners and needs some serious work. I've always loved bonsai since I was a child and my recent trips to Redwood and Sequoia National Parks has resparked my interest.
Since I was contemplating tearing the tree out anyways, I thought it'd be a great learning platform for me at a cost of zero dollars. The tree is approximately 30" tall and has a 3" trunk with non-existent taper. I'd love to turn this into an 18"-24" bonsai eventually.
So, I'm here asking for advice as a complete newbie. I'm thinking chop it to 6-12", chop off the branches at the base (maybe leave one just for vigor?) and wait till next season to see what happens and work roots then? I'm thinking chopping to 12" might be better, then I can chose a new branch to create the new apex and chop down to that next year? There are what look like (to me) decent roots on one side of the trunk, however on the other side it drops 1/2" or so into the soil and then slightly flares out. Maybe root graft on that side in the future? Or at the same time as the chop?
Apologies for the deluge of questions and any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated!