Acer palmatum advice/ideas

[Childericus]

Hello!
I don't have any specific experience with Japanese maples, but I spontaneously bought these two cheap Acer palmatum from a nursery because I liked the roots/structure. But now I'm wondering what to do with them lol. The first one (acer palmatum ‘trompenburg’) is grafted, isn't it? Are they even suitable/desirable as bonsai at some point? Should I just plant them in the ground for a while (or wait until spring)?
I live in Austria, Europe, so warm summers and cold winters. Thanks!

Picture 1+2: Acer palmatum ‘Trompenburg’
Picture 3+4: Acer palmatum

 

[akillas]

Congratulations!

Any acer p. can be turned into a good bonsai, its a wonderful species.

That being said, trompenburg leaves are on the bigger side of palmate foliage so a bigger size bonsai would look appropriate.
Most acer palmatum you will find in commercial nurseries are grafted. You could bonsai a grafted tree but then you begin at a great disadvantage aesthetically, so most people either ground/air layer it, or plant it in the ground and air layer a branch or two every season.

For now i would just leave them alone as they are preparing for dormancy. Next spring you can repot, get rid of that awful dense nursery soil.
Until then, you could decide on your course!

 

[Rivian]

Usually Trompenburg would be grafted, but the way the nebari looks this might have been a layer. I wouldnt say its a great cultivar for bonsai though.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

If it is grafted it is a good one, I can’t see any graft union.

 

[NeedlesAndLeaves]

I can not see a graft from those pictures.
Seems like a good find.

Planting it in the ground, it depends what your goal is.
If you want a thicker trunk and more aging looks, yes groundgrowing will speed up those goals.

If you are happy with the “bones” of the tree, keep it in the pot and start with ramnification from there.

As for the climate. Austrian winters can be cold. More than 4-5 days below -5degrees C you might want to put it in a shelter (unheated).

Summers should be fine (although the thin maple leaves can suffer from hot summer days)

I think you have a nice base to start your Bonsai journey from

 

[Childericus]

Thanks for all the replies. Most of the maples in the nursery had no visible nebari. That's why I was intrigued by the Trompenburg. If it also shows no graft, all the better.

I'm going to follow @akillas advice and leave them alone for now (in a shelter if it get‘s too cold). I’ll probably plant them in the ground in spring. I'm not a fan of the soil and the plastic pot though, but it will do for the winter.

 

[Childericus]

I can not see a graft from those pictures.
Seems like a good find.

Planting it in the ground, it depends what your goal is.
If you want a thicker trunk and more aging looks, yes groundgrowing will speed up those goals.

If you are happy with the “bones” of the tree, keep it in the pot and start with ramnification from there.

As for the climate. Austrian winters can be cold. More than 4-5 days below -5degrees C you might want to put it in a shelter (unheated).

Summers should be fine (although the thin maple leaves can suffer from hot summer days)

I think you have a nice base to start your Bonsai journey from

Thank you! All the pictures of the wonderful mature bonsai with thick trunks can sometimes be intimidating. I would surely like a thicker trunk, especially for the Trompenburg. I assume you would let them both grow in the ground for a few seasons?

 

[TwilightTrees]

If you plan to plant them in the ground anyway I would not hesitate and wait for spring, why not plant them in the ground now? Especially if you worry for harsh winter in Austria. Then the tree is more protected in the ground with heat from earth, than in a plastic pot with soggy soil who can turn into a ice ball if it get too cold. Just remember that if the root system isn't fully developed you should be carefull handle it out of the pot. But you can carefully "slip pot" it down in a hole in the ground with some good drainage gravel around it, but don't mess with the root system too much now.

 

[Shibui]

Named AP cultivars would normally be grafted. Occasionally a producer strikes cuttings, especially when the trees are aimed at bonsai.
Some producers grow AP from seed. A few less reputable or ignorant producers label seedlings with the parent cultivar name - which is completely wrong. Even when the seedling looks like the parent cultivars, new gene combinations in any seedling means ALL seedlings are different from the parent.

That said, it does not matter what name your maple has. Reality is much more about what it looks like and how it grows so the name is way less important.

You could bonsai a grafted tree but then you begin at a great disadvantage aesthetically, so most people either ground/air layer it, or plant it in the ground and air layer a branch or two every season.

There's nothing intrinsically bad about grafted trees for bonsai. Many great bonsai are grafted in one way or another and most viewers cannot even pick the grafts. Occasionally something goes wrong with an individual graft - different bark colour, one part grows faster creating a bulge, etc but that's actually rare.

If you plan to plant them in the ground anyway I would not hesitate and wait for spring, why not plant them in the ground now?

Beware of planting commercial grown trees in the ground without checking the roots thoroughly. The vast majority of commercial grown trees have tangled roots, uneven root system, etc. Small problems planted in the ground soon become big problems that can't easily be fixed.
No problem temporary plant in the ground for winter protection, but for longer term development, please make sure the roots are good before committing to the grow bed. Small problems can be sorted relatively easily right at the start but much more difficult later.

 

[Childericus]

I could shelter the two AP in my garage. It doesn't get frosty in there, but it's quite dark. However, I might just plant them in the ground as they are now. I doubt that the roots are decent though.
Would early spring be a good time to work on the roots of maples before replanting them in the grow bed?