Advice on Japanese maple development

Jhilliard6

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Hello everyone.
I just got ahold of this jap. maple yesterday and am now trying to figure out my best plan of attack for the coming years.
A bit of background: The tree is around 10-12 years old and has been nursery grown it’s whole life.
It is fairly rootbound with roots coming out of every drainage hole there is on the pot so I would like to address this during the coming spring.

I mainly would appreciate any and all input/advice on how you might think I should proceed with this tree, as it will be/is my prized tree (in my mind) and will be with me until I drop, so I plan to be very contentious and patient in how I build on it.

My ideas thus far:
I am considering doing a trunk chop, but can’t decide where I would do it, as there is slight taper to the trunk the entire way up, but it is only slight.
Is it better to chop now and let it grow out a new leader as would be the usual case?
Or should I take it as it is and build on it?

My other idea is that I wouldn’t mind building out the nebari a bit more to fill in the some of the gaps, but I’m not sure what is the best way to carry out this task, nor what actions will give me what results.

I need to still consider, however, that the tree is rootbound and would highly appreciate a repotting when it is time. My question here then is would this repotting hinder my ability to grow my new leader (assuming a trunk chop is done) and or develop further nebari, considering the amount of root which needs to be removed?

Thank you ahead of time to any advice/responses.

Regards,
Jordan Hilliard
 

chansen

Shohin
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All good questions. One clarification though, you will have the tree until you or the tree drops. Opinions below :)

Trunk chop - It depends. Acer p. can be slow tapering trees and look great. It seems that the tree is fairly straight after the first direction change low down, up to the larger upper branch. Still not a problem, just a preference thing. I think a chop would help the overall character of the tree. Right now you don't have a strong lower branch to chop to. I would look to create movement somewhere around/directly above the first two branches you have lower on the trunk (consider using that second branch that you cut back as the new trunk line, but if you do, you have to just let it run. So maybe you do have a strong enough branch to cut back to). I prefer cutting to a strong branch. Also, that's an activity best for last spring once the new growth is out and hardened off. Acer p. are notorious bleeders, which is just loss of sugar water (food) for the tree. Doing it once the new growth is out and set will help reduce some of the bleeding, but also give the tree plenty of time to recover for the growing season. Seal the cut with good cut paste.

Repotting - Yeah, it needs it. I like to use anderson flats for training pots (https://www.stuewe.com/products/anderson.php). I've used AFLAT5 most. They hold up well, are a good size/dimensions, and have good drainage at the bottom. On how to fix the nebari, read this: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ebihara-maples.18215/

Maples that are healthy can take a lot of work in a short period of time. So I wouldn't hesitate to repot and chop in the same season.
 

0soyoung

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Things that catch my eye are:
  • crappy nebari
  • nice short internodes on trunk
  • trunk is long and very slowly tapering
Thoughts crossing my mind are:
  • plan on air layering between the lowest 2 branches and the top as seen in pic1
    • maybe also a branch or two above
    • Of course, could chop here and toss the top
  • might the nebari work as an exposed root-ish feature?
    • ground layering is a risky option that could lose the tree
    • otherwise, correction is a long term issue requiring annual root work and repotting (not a big deal really)
  • short internodes is good for shorter more powerful bonsai images
    • upper part of tree (above top of pic1) looks to have longer internodes
      • maybe good for tall-ish feminine forms
      • to some extent can be dealt with by grafting
      • highlights that grower pushed the tree for size to make sales
        • keeping roots short and confined with moderate nitrogen should avoid this (oh boy, some FUN horticultural experimentation --> the heart of growing for bonsai).
the tree is rootbound and would highly appreciate a repotting when it is time
Being rootbound is not a problem, per se. The issue is the state of the nursery soil - whether it is open and free draining. It needs to be repotted when it ceases being free draining. On the other hand, if it is known to be a ball&burlap stuffed into a pot, repotting next spring is vital - b&b muck/mud is bad stuff. Assuming it is free draining, I would prioritize air layering / chopping this next season (2019) then repotting spring 2020 - quite simply, it is much easier to deal with a short tree in bonsai-ish conditions (shallow container, non-compacting substrate).
 

Jhilliard6

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A few notes as well are that I am in Tucson AZ and we experience fairly mild winters with our first frost not occurring until late November/early December, so fall/late summer potting does tend to work well here.

I was told by Walter Pall to hard prune now and then repot the following April, so I am timid to do both now, but if I were able to repot into something more manageable it would be easier for me down the road (I’m moving and will have to setup shop again in the next month or two), and with the tree currently weighing around 200lb it is difficult to move even with two people.

Regarding a chop: my first thoughts were to chop about where my hand is in the 1st pic, and just assume the very slight taper and work with it (as certain angles show more taper than others due to the amount of old wounds from branches removed).
I personally am not the biggest fan of drastic taper as many bonsai tend to be, from more drastic trunk chopping, but I am also not really a fan of very minimal taper on such a large trunk as well (literati is great when done well but on smaller trees, I feel), so I’m trying to find a balance there.
I like a trees natural form in nature and so don’t mind some “flaws” here and there, or a section of trunk that is straight, as it’s all subjective really.

Question: If I were to cut about where my hand is or lower (maybe half way between the two lower branches and my hand), i would want the next section of trunk to be proportional to the lower section, so that it’s not thick to thin, by comparison.
How long might this take to develop? And would it basically be a sacrifice leader that grows to 6-10ft before I can cut it, so that it thickens proportionally?

Regarding the nebari: I am somewhat fond of the current nebari, but I I would like to build on it.
I read the post you mentioned about screwing the board to base of the tree and may give this a shot, as it can see how it may work well. However would not a shallow grow box made of cedar also suffice in forcing the roots to grow outward as it is tied to the box? or would it just do so less efficiently?

Thank you both for the help/advice thus far.
 

chansen

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Chopping isn't just done to induce taper, but movement too. If you like the slow taper, that's fine. But slow taper plus no movement = boring. Viewers likely won't be drawn in to the tree. Air layers is a viable option if you want. You'll need to evaluate the quality of the material you're layering off to decide if it's worth the time. Granted, all those comments are based on 2D photos.

With roots, you'll notice that the plant in the ebihara thread wasn't placed at the very bottom of the pot, but on top of substrate. In that case there's still room for the roots to run a little. We want radial roots, but they can grow down too, as long as it's at the end of the board. We don't want them growing up :).
 

Saddler

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A few notes as well are that I am in Tucson AZ and we experience fairly mild winters with our first frost not occurring until late November/early December, so fall/late summer potting does tend to work well here.

I was told by Walter Pall to hard prune now and then repot the following April, so I am timid to do both now, but if I were able to repot into something more manageable it would be easier for me down the road (I’m moving and will have to setup shop again in the next month or two), and with the tree currently weighing around 200lb it is difficult to move even with two people.

Regarding a chop: my first thoughts were to chop about where my hand is in the 1st pic, and just assume the very slight taper and work with it (as certain angles show more taper than others due to the amount of old wounds from branches removed).
I personally am not the biggest fan of drastic taper as many bonsai tend to be, from more drastic trunk chopping, but I am also not really a fan of very minimal taper on such a large trunk as well (literati is great when done well but on smaller trees, I feel), so I’m trying to find a balance there.
I like a trees natural form in nature and so don’t mind some “flaws” here and there, or a section of trunk that is straight, as it’s all subjective really.

Question: If I were to cut about where my hand is or lower (maybe half way between the two lower branches and my hand), i would want the next section of trunk to be proportional to the lower section, so that it’s not thick to thin, by comparison.
How long might this take to develop? And would it basically be a sacrifice leader that grows to 6-10ft before I can cut it, so that it thickens proportionally?

Regarding the nebari: I am somewhat fond of the current nebari, but I I would like to build on it.
I read the post you mentioned about screwing the board to base of the tree and may give this a shot, as it can see how it may work well. However would not a shallow grow box made of cedar also suffice in forcing the roots to grow outward as it is tied to the box? or would it just do so less efficiently?

Thank you both for the help/advice thus far.
Have you considered ground layering the roots? 5F70703F-6FF8-488E-B758-30A3B534A01C.jpegStrip the bark somewhere near where I made the boxes on the roots. Roots should grow from the top cuts and in a year you can cut the lower roots off having better places roots closer to the trunk. I think you could do this over two or three years if you would be more comfortable playing it safe, but I’ve only done it all at once. Just another suggestion.
 

KiwiPlantGuy

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Hi jhilliard6,
My 2 cents - chop to 8-12 inches above nebari, cut off the 2 wee branches where the chop will be, seal chop, repot into flat box etc, ALL of the above in late Winter/early Spring (as per your warmish location).
Every ring (grey) around the trunk gives you the options to grow trunks and branches.
Then choose a leader in the next year, cut off rest, grow that leader for a few years to get girth 1/2 - 2/3 of initial trunk, then chop this leader, and grow third trunk section.
Yep, slow process, hey 7-10 years later you will have a cool JM bonsai of 20-30 inches, and patience of an ox ?
Great trunk start, and good luck.
Charles
 

rodeolthr

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Here in Seattle, Japanese maples are just pushing their late summer growth which will continue well into September...….sometimes longer depending on how the season progresses. Just a consideration for you if you're thinking about chopping now.
 

Kendo

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For such long time to make bonsai looking for best start. Something to consideration.
 
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