Ebihara maples

markyscott said:

Over the years Jonas Dupuich has written some very nice articles about some of Mr. Ebihara's techniques in growing Japanese maple. Here's one example.

http://bonsaitonight.com/2009/02/14/ebihara/

Jonas talked about a number of grafting techniques and how Ebihara developed these beautiful spreading root bases on maples. All of his trees are apparently developed in pots - he did not grow trees in the ground - yet he achieved some really remarkable results. One of his techniques - planting on a wooden board - is something I've been experimenting with for the past couple of years. I thought I'd share some results.

Here's a Japanese maple I've been working with - I purchased it from Don Herzog at Miniature Plant Kingdom about 3 years ago or so.

View attachment 68535

I attached it to a board using the techniques I'll document below and planted it in an Anderson flat. It's been growing for 2 years, more or less undisturbed other than fall cut back and pruning.

- Scott

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AndyJ said:

Hi Scott.

I’m just starting my first bi-annual reread of this thread (one now one in spring!) so that my mind is ready for work next year. It’s a really informative thread thanks for taking the time putting it together for us all to learn from.

I’ve just got to this page and have noticed that you say you did a “fall cutback and pruning“ on this tree. Please can you explain what this entails? I’ve got a few maples - mainly 3-4 yer old - and I’m trying Ebihara on them using your thread as a guide. I’ve never done anything with them in fall and wonder if you could explain what you do, why and when?

Many thnaks,

Andy

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AndyJ said:

Hi Scott.

I’m just starting my first bi-annual reread of this thread (one now one in spring!) so that my mind is ready for work next year. It’s a really informative thread thanks for taking the time putting it together for us all to learn from.

I’ve just got to this page and have noticed that you say you did a “fall cutback and pruning“ on this tree. Please can you explain what this entails? I’ve got a few maples - mainly 3-4 yer old - and I’m trying Ebihara on them using your thread as a guide. I’ve never done anything with them in fall and wonder if you could explain what you do, why and when?

Many thnaks,

Andy

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markyscott said:

Hi Andy - thanks for the question, as I think this bears some explanation. What it is first, then timing. The cutback I describe is just pruning, but it’s different than pruning during the growing season. When we prune in season, we’re mostly just cutting back extending shoots by cutting back the current year’s growth. By doing so we can control how much thickening vs ramification we get during the growing season. When we have a tree early in development in which we’re developing primary branch structure, we let the branches grow long. When we’re working with a developed tree in which we are refining and developing ramification, we don’t let the branches grow as long before cutting back. When we prune in dormancy, we’re editing lignified branches by cutting back into old wood and removing branches. We remove branches that have grow too heavy by cutting back to younger, more delicate branches, thus creating taper. We find opportunities to redirect branches by pruning for movement. And we can remove branches entirely. So “cutback” is pruning old wood and it’s distinct from late spring/early summer pruning where we’re cutting back extending shoots.

In terms of timing, it’s done during dormancy. There are two points in time when I think it is OK to prune; late fall and early spring. I cutback in fall. The reason I do so is because I live in a borderline tropical portion of the US. Our winters are incredibly mild with lots of day’s in the 70’s or even 80’s (20-25 deg C). We generally never freeze, and when we do, it generally only dips slightly below freezing for an hour or two at the coldest part of the day. I don’t believe trees are ever truly dormant in these conditions. In fact Tridents and Japanese Maples both hold onto their leaves until late December or early January. I pull them all off by hand - that’s what counts as “fall“ in my area. In the 25 years I’ve lived here, we’ve had one hard freeze with temperatures in the upper teens and low twentys that lasted for about a week before they returned to the typical mild winter temperatures. I moved my entire collection to the greenhouse, house and garage during that time. However, if you’re in a colder climate where there is a high risk of extended hard freezes and temperatures are cold enough that the trees are truly in dormancy, then I’d recommend doing cutback in early spring.

One word of caution for spring cutback. Sap flow begins before the buds begin to swell. There is a great deal of debate on whether pruning during sap flow is bad or not for the tree. I don’t know personally, but I’ve heard both sides argued from people whose opinions I respect. If this is a concern for you, cut off a little tip at the end of the branch before you start pruning to see if you get bleeding. If you don’t, you should be able to cutback without excessive bleeding. If you do, you can repot first, and then prune. You won’t get bleeding from the branch cuts after you repot.

- S

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MrWunderful said:

@markyscott due for a repot next year?

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win320 said:

From internet
Somewhere in Asia
View attachment 346285View attachment 346286

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win320 said:

From internet
Somewhere in Asia
View attachment 346285View attachment 346286

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Canada Bonsai said:

I have officially hired a professional translator and bonsai professional in Japan to translate the 11-page Kinbon article (May 2001). I am surprised that this had not been done yet.

I mentioned this another thread (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ebihara-nebari-musings.47464/page-2#post-816017) but thought that I should also share this here as well so that nobody else spends time/money on the same project.

I am looking into publication permissions and publication outlets (I don't have either at the moment!). At the very least, I'll summarize the article here in my own words.

Click to expand...

Canada Bonsai said:

I have officially hired a professional translator and bonsai professional in Japan to translate the 11-page Kinbon article (May 2001). I am surprised that this had not been done yet.

I mentioned this another thread (https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ebihara-nebari-musings.47464/page-2#post-816017) but thought that I should also share this here as well so that nobody else spends time/money on the same project.

I am looking into publication permissions and publication outlets (I don't have either at the moment!). At the very least, I'll summarize the article here in my own words.

Click to expand...