Acer Palmatum Progression

[Warpig]

Getting off early from work today and having a little free time really got the itch stirring. I figured it would be a good chance to give this maple a check up mid winter. Aswell as going ahead and starting this topic for it. It might help tide me over till spring.

I bought the tree from Bill Valavanis last December. I wasn't too worried about it's climate change too much since the tree was already in full dormancy and it was only moving from N.Y. to Ohio.
Here's a couple quick pics I took before putting it down for winter.





Ofcourse, it doesn't look any different now but I did get a chance to get a couple better pictures. The tree shows plenty of signs of good growth last year, with plenty of healthy buds waiting for spring. I plan to give her a good feeding and just let her go for spring. Mid-summer she gets a haircut and are heading to a workshop with @MACH5 to start on structural building.










:Too those with a keen eye, please note I would of preferred a mulch without a dye but it was slim pickings in December. And, winter care next year will be better. Having gotten it so late in the year I think this was the way to go for now.

 

[Warpig]

Post number 666

 

[Warpig]

Some time to kill with trees on the brain.

 

[ConorDash]

Would you like or plan to get some back budding on the branches? They are quite long.
Good placement for them all though, the base looks good and the trunk movement is very lovely.

 

[Warpig]

Would you like or plan to get some back budding on the branches? They are quite long.
Good placement for them all though, the base looks good and the trunk movement is very lovely.

Yea back budding and working on branch structure is going to be the name of the game for abit still. It's still early just tossing around some different ideas.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Killer trunk line!

 

[Warpig]

 

[BuckeyeOne]

Looking forward to seeing this one at one of the meetings this summer!! Great lines to start with!

 

[Warpig]

Removed this one from hiding today to find the pot had cracked. Im not too surprised given where it was kept to see it through the winter. Given more time, care this next winter will be more prepared. But it does leave me with a cracked pot. I haven't done anything yet so please feel free to add. @MACH5 I would love to hear any thoughts knowing you may know the trees history more.

The two things I'm thinking are:

1) Duct tape the pot to hold. Let it hold out till next spring for a repot, after this years growth and work.

2) Use this time to move the tree to a grow box and some rootwork.





@William N. Valavanis , i know your busy right now but just wanted to say. Thank you for the nice tree. She's a slow waker but you can tell she is strong and ready to go. She was cared for vary well.

 

[BuckeyeOne]

Well, that sucks!!
I'd leave it 'til next year.
You might be able to get a double wrap of wire around the pot and twist like a tourniquet if there is enough of a flat spot.
Still impressed with the great structure.
I'm jealous!

 

[Nybonsai12]

I am far from a maple expert, but I would repot.

 

[0soyoung]

The two things I'm thinking are:

1) Duct tape the pot to hold. Let it hold out till next spring for a repot, after this years growth and work.

2) Use this time to move the tree to a grow box and some rootwork.

It looks to me that you have plenty of time to repot. When you have until the first leaves are limply hanging out.

I'll just mention that an option is to lift it out of the broken pot, and cover the root ball with a plastic bag or wrap it with film, set it aside, glue the pot back together. If you use Gorilla Glue, you'll need a band around the pot or clamping in some way so that it doesn't open up because of the glue expansion - but it is quick, clean up after curing is a snap and it makes a very strong durable bond. Even if you use epoxy, it will be cured within a day and you can simply plug the tree back in.


Nevertheless, one can work a.p. roots every year. So I would pick what container it will be going into after doing the root work in the next few days (this coming weekend would probably be good). Then follow through on plans. Just about everything is okay except jiggling it around with a lot of wiring, I think.


See what @MACH5 has to say, but I bet ....

 

[MACH5]

@MACH5 I would love to hear any thoughts knowing you may know the trees history more.

Sorry, I don't have any history on this tree except I also saw it at the winter silhouette and almost bought it LOL!


I don't think you need to put it in a box unless you want to grow a much bigger tree which I doubt. Wooden boxes are also perfect to reinvigorate weak trees which is not the case either. As already mentioned I would repot it this year and ok to put it right into a ceramic pot and start to refine your branch structures and ramification.

 

[Warpig]

Seemed now was the time to act.

Went ahead with the repot and into a plastic pot so I could easily add a guy wire for now. The rootball is looking real good and is going to love having more space. Was getting to be a full pot, fast.

Expecting to get leafs anyday now. She's full on ready for some bio-gold and ready to go.

 

[ConorDash]

As far as I know with Maples, that bud extension stage is the perfect time for repotting, also the timing that I live by too.
Nice looking guy wire too, very neat!

 

[Warpig]

Nice looking guy wire too, very neat!

Thank you, It's funny.

I was still deciding in which method I wanted to try for tightening it. I ended up going this way of essentially a loop with a tourniquet, and then after seen for the first time the other recent topic about guy wires. I need to make a post there. It has great talk of anchoring guy wires, and need to bring up methods people like for tightening.