Club Raffle Japanese Maple

Sn0W

Shohin
Messages
305
Reaction score
314
Location
Bristol, UK
I've been meaning to post this since I won it but thought I'd wait until all the leaves had dropped. My local club raffled off a bunch of trees from an old member who had sadly passed away. Due to ill health he had not been able to attend the club for a long time and couldn't maintain his trees so the few that survived were in a sorry state after suffering the bad winter and scorching summer with very little attention. I got lucky and ended up with what I think was the best one. I wasn't sure it would survive, but it's set buds so fingers crossed it makes it to spring. I know my first course of action will be to get it back up to health but I was hoping you guys could give me some advice regarding where to go from there.
20181212_111240.jpg
20181212_111246.jpg
20181212_111251.jpg
20181212_111312.jpg
 
Messages
1,954
Reaction score
1,387
Location
Coastal S.C.
USDA Zone
8b
I think some of the long straight sections will eventually have to come off, but looks like good material to me. I would repot in spring to get it healthy and just see where the buds pop down low. Start removing and cleaning the dead sections, like that first branch. Remove a straight section or two if it is producing good growth, but keep some of it for sacrificial growth to generate roots. You could also try to air-layer some of these sections, but just make sure if any buds pop where you want them that they get plenty of light.
That would be my approach anyways.

Edit: I wonder if a curve could be induced in the tallest section using one of those screw based branch benders? Plametum can be brittle, but if possible, a couple gentle curves could help save the section.
 

discusmike

Omono
Messages
1,495
Reaction score
553
Location
elkton,MD
USDA Zone
7a
I think you ended up with a nice tree to work on??
 

Sn0W

Shohin
Messages
305
Reaction score
314
Location
Bristol, UK
Repotting is No.1 on the list of things to do. I didn't think of the possibility of buds popping lower down, was sure grafting would be needed to bring the foliage back down.

I forgot to mention the original post that the trunk is about 2" at soil level, not sure about the nebari underneath. I'm hoping to reveal something half decent or at least workable but whatever else was growing in the pot has carpeted the top with roots and I can't dig to look. Air layering may be a good idea so as not to waste any growth.

As for the 1st big dead branch, should I remove it in sections or will the tree be able to cope with a wound that big? Would be better to wait until it's healthier to give it more of a chance of healing before I remove it? I know that it's not the normal thing but I was thinking of maybe working in some kind of Jin / shari on this one
 

j evans

Omono
Messages
1,155
Reaction score
1,003
Location
Yakima, WA
USDA Zone
6B
I like it, looks like a good start. Congrats!
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
What are the woodylooking stems in the pot?

I wpuld take it back do those first 2 smallest branches.....someday.

Sorce
 

Sn0W

Shohin
Messages
305
Reaction score
314
Location
Bristol, UK
I don't know Sorce. They didn't have any foliage when i got this. Will have to wait til next year when they leaf out again, will stick a few in a pot to see what happens. They're seriously rooted though, physically cannot pull one out.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
Interesting tree, there is a bonsai in there. I would repot in spring, without doing a lot of pruning. Then after it recovers, I believe it could be a good fit for an informal broom style. Perhaps one of the more experienced club members could help you with a plan. I would have trouble due to seeing it only in 2 dimensions. There's a nice tree in there.
 

Cattwooduk

Shohin
Messages
496
Reaction score
694
Location
Bristol, UK
Cool little tree, is that first branch completely dead? I would take it off maybe, could put a bit of movement in the bottom of the trunk. Then again it might be a bit big and leave a nasty wound...

Still haven't managed to get to the club on a Monday yet, always seem to be busy on meet day. Hoping to try get to some this year but with another kid on the way it seems unlikely!
 

leatherback

The Treedeemer
Messages
13,937
Reaction score
26,878
Location
Northern Germany
USDA Zone
7
My course of action would be to..
- clean up the dead branch now. Take it off and get the wound smooth & covered.
- In early spring, repot into good substrate with basic root sorting, but keeping a large part of the roots.
- Assuming good growth throughout spring, in early july I would consider a full cut-back to only those primary branches that are kept, removing everything else. That gives the tree enough time to pop buds all over and get you some basic branches throughout with short internodes to work with
 

Sn0W

Shohin
Messages
305
Reaction score
314
Location
Bristol, UK
@Cattwooduk Yeah the first branch is completely dead. You should try and make it one day, would be nice to be a face to a name.

I'm still tempted to keep part of the dead branch to Jin, I know it isn't something that's usually done but it'll leave a huge wound if I removed it.

I'm also tempted to layer it at an angle just below the bulge the 2 first branches create, but I think that'll depend on what's below the soil line. It'll definitely get a hard cut back if it's alive and well come July-ish
 
Top Bottom