“Rudy” Japanese Maple Progression

[Tidal Bonsai]

Some of you may recognize this beautiful forest from @MACH5. The thread on it is located at this link:

The "NOT SHOHIN" maple forest

I recently started the thread "NOT SHOHIN" [https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/not-shohin.26588/] in the general discussion forum regarding a collaboration with ceramist extraordinaire Roy Minarai. I had an idea about doing a forest composition that was to be planted on an unusually proportioned...

www.bonsainut.com

Unfortunately, all but two trees from this composition died due to fungus a few years ago. Sergio is developing the multi-trunk specimen (green arrow), and I started developing the elegant single trunk (red arrow). I nicknamed this tree “Rudy,” because it has persevered against the odds just like the character in the movie.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

The tree was growing strongly in the spring, so to not halt progress, the first thing I did was slip pot it into a Sam Miller pot (this was a perfect fit for the roots to develop, so I used it this season).

Next step was dealing with a whorl at the top of the tree.





My current goal for this tree was to heal wounds completely, thicken the next trunk section and get more aged bark. For this reason, it was fertilized heavily and left alone for the rest of the season. By fall, this tree had 4 foot extensions!

Wounds are looking great!


After rough fall cutback


This spring I will start working the roots, and move onto wiring/branch development.

 

[bwaynef]

I'll go ahead and apologize that I don't have more of a contribution to this thread, but Rudy was off-sides.

 

[The Warm Canuck]

A quick questions from a Noob: Did you defoliate the bottom of the tree and leave the folliage on the top shoots to promote thickening of top?

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

A quick questions from a Noob: Did you defoliate the bottom of the tree and leave the folliage on the top shoots to promote thickening of top?

No problem at all! In this particular case, I did not defoliate lower branches, they were naturally kept in check by the strong vertical top growth. There will be more pruning/wiring done in the spring.

Next season I want to continue thickening/developing the apex area, so that will be left to mostly grow out. I have a hunch I will have to balance the bottom portion of the tree with defoliation/pruning for sure now that it’s growing strong again.

 

[The Warm Canuck]

No problem at all! In this particular case, I did not defoliate lower branches, they were naturally kept in check by the strong vertical top growth. There will be more pruning/wiring done in the spring.

Next season I want to continue thickening/developing the apex area, so that will be left to mostly grow out. I have a hunch I will have to balance the bottom portion of the tree with defoliation/pruning for sure now that it’s growing strong again.

It just looks like it from one of your fall pictures, the lower part has no leaves and the top does.

So you didn't even prune the bottom, only the top shoots grew out like that?

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

It just looks like it from one of your fall pictures, the lower part has no leaves and the top does.

So you didn't even prune the bottom, only the top shoots grew out like that?

Ahhh yes. That picture was when I was removing fall leaves before putting the tree away in winter storage a month ago. I didn’t bother removing the leaves on the long extensions because I knew I was going to chop them off.

The bottom basically put out early spring growth and maintained it throughout the season. Since I didn’t really prune, new growth wasn’t stimulated lower on the tree and it invested in the strong upper branches. Now that I cut the tree back in fall, I expect a big push all over the tree in the spring of 2022.

 

[The Warm Canuck]

Interesting that it chose to push out the top growth so strong and not the bottom.

What time of year do you do your hard cut backs on your JM? There seems like a lot of controversy about the subject.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

The chop I made was only a half inch or less, so I chose to do it in fall and leave a little stub for compartmentalization. I like early summer for really big chops on all my deciduous.