Some Shibui Japanese maples

Shibui

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Most of the trident maples here are now bare and the Japanese maples have now started to drop leaves too.

The first to get bare this year was one of my early attempts at a Japanese maple style Japanese maple. Sounds confusing? JM usually grow naturally with multiple rising trunks that then ramify and splay outward with the tips producing the foliage pads we normally associate with branches.
This early attempt has faults, at least in my eyes.
P1210632.JPG
The main trunk was developed a bit too fast so has little taper. Even worse, allowing too many shoots to develop has resulted in some thickened spots - reverse taper.
It does, however have a powerful trunk base so until I can make something better I'll keep working with this one.

Next up is an ex bonsai. It is currently having a bonsai vacation after a fungal infection killed the lower branches and associated roots.
P1210649.JPG
Proportions and ramification is still good. I've been treating the dead wood with lime sulphur to try to preserve it in the hope that the tree will grow over the scar. There has been some movement but without sealer progress is quite slow. Not sure whether to continue working on healing or to steer toward a part dead trunk or hollow trunk tree.

More to come as they receive autumn haircuts.
 

0soyoung

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The first to get bare this year was one of my early attempts at a Japanese maple style Japanese maple. Sounds confusing? JM usually grow naturally with multiple rising trunks that then ramify and splay outward with the tips producing the foliage pads we normally associate with branches.
This early attempt has faults, at least in my eyes.
I like this style but haven't come close to successfully making one myself. My immediate reaction was to do this to your tree.

Sketch.png
It is a fun tree IMHO.
 

JudyB

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Actually the second one looks more like a Japanese styled tree, and the first one looks more like a natural style. Both are nice.
 

theta

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I love the style of the first one, it does look natural. So when you say you grew the trunks too fast, what does that mean exactly?

To get taper along the branch do you have to cut back to the first node after every growing season?
 

namnhi

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Loved them. Very nice.
 

Shibui

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I love the style of the first one, it does look natural. So when you say you grew the trunks too fast, what does that mean exactly?

To get taper along the branch do you have to cut back to the first node after every growing season?
Not always the first node, but cutbacks are needed to make taper. A shoot grown in one year usually has very little taper. As it thickens in subsequent years it will thicken uniformly and just be thicker with no taper unless there are significant branches somewhere along that section.
Cutbacks may seem to be a step backwards but in bonsai development a step backward may be the best step forward in the end.
 

Shibui

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More of the maples have dropped leaves and had an end of season trim
First for today is a grafted tree. A very early purchase from a club trading table because it had an attractive low bend and well spread roots. The upper trunk was very straight and lacked taper and no low branches to cut back to. For several years I tried all the methods I knew to get buds on the older wood. Nothing. In the end I approach grafted a shoot as a new leader. When that was growing well I removed the redundant trunk. Of course that reduction also stimulated a single new bud just below the graft which is now the first branch. The rest of the trunk is all developed from the graft.
P1210715.JPG

Twin trunk Root over Rock JM.
The white area is where some bark died a few years ago. I should be able to get that to heal up.
P1210718.JPG

My most recent attempt at natural JM style. I was hoping to prevent the trunk bulges with this one but there's still a few thickened spots on the main trunk......
P1210719.JPG

Another older JM. Possibly from a layer but I don't remember the origins well enough to be sure.
This one also has some dead patches on a couple of branches. The dead area started to become evident after summer defoliation so I assumed it was sunburn but one is also where a branch was cut back so infection is also possible.
P1210735.JPG

Last of this group is a Shohin JM still developing. I picked this one for the little bend just above ground level. Going to be a bit of a challenge to keep one this small without getting lumps.
P1210738.JPG
 
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More of the maples have dropped leaves and had an end of season trim
First for today is a grafted tree. A very early purchase from a club trading table because it had an attractive low bend and well spread roots. The upper trunk was very straight and lacked taper and no low branches to cut back to. For several years I tried all the methods I knew to get buds on the older wood. Nothing. In the end I approach grafted a shoot as a new leader. When that was growing well I removed the redundant trunk. Of course that reduction also stimulated a single new bud just below the graft which is now the first branch. The rest of the trunk is all developed from the graft.
View attachment 244873

Twin trunk Root over Rock JM.
The white area is where some bark died a few years ago. I should be able to get that to heal up.
View attachment 244874

My most recent attempt at natural JM style. I was hoping to prevent the trunk bulges with this one but there's still a few thickened spots on the main trunk......
View attachment 244875

Another older JM. Possibly from a layer but I don't remember the origins well enough to be sure.
This one also has some dead patches on a couple of branches. The dead area started to become evident after summer defoliation so I assumed it was sunburn but one is also where a branch was cut back so infection is also possible.
View attachment 244876

Last of this group is a Shohin JM still developing. I picked this one for the little bend just above ground level. Going to be a bit of a challenge to keep one this small without getting lumps.
View attachment 244877
How old are these? You sure do have some of the best JM.
 

Shibui

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Thanks for the compliment. I still see all the faults and flaws in my trees so sometimes forget they do have redeeming qualities as well.
The origins of these are lost in the mists of time. I have too many trees to keep good track of each. The oldest of these JM are probably around 30 years. Middle photo is much younger - probably around 12-15 years. The little shohin at the end is only maybe 5 years old from seed.
 

Wilson

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Great trees! Very good expressions of various designs that are complimentary to japanese maples
 
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