Field Maple Progression

cbroad

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Here's a field maple I've had since June of 2017. I bought it at Meehan's Miniatures, I think for around $25-30, and I was pretty excited because I had been looking for one for a long time.


As bought:
IMG_20170611_190114048.jpg
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I slip potted it that summer into a 5 gallon pot and honestly, I can't remember if I've repotted it since then... I can't find any pictures of it so I probably haven't.

Really long straight section, with no taper, and a low branch, pretty obvious place for a chop.

So I chopped it back the next spring in 2018.

Today:
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After realizing it's been possibly almost 4 years since a repot, I may have to do one this spring. I want to continue thickening the next section of trunk before the next chop, so it's probably a good idea to repot it now and get it into a wider shallower container, I also really need to get the roots sorted out. That should kick start it into more rampant growth, and get some thickening over the next couple of years.
 

Paulpash

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One of my favourite species. In the ground they go berserk and fatten, at least here in the UK, quicker than trident maple. Do you not have an outside space or do you prefer container growing?
 

cbroad

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Do you not have an outside space or do you prefer container growing?
I do have outside space for some trees, a few years ago I had some other maples escape their pots and became pretty monstrous. Here's a link to a thread I posted a day before this field maple thread: Trident It got over 20 feet in a few years after escaping its pot. I also do like container growing, just for the ease of moving things around. I don't get much full sun in my yard so the sun is somewhat of a commodity.

This field maple has started to escape its pot, but now that I realized how long it's been in this pot and I can't remember if I did much flattening of the root system, I think this spring I need to check everything out below the soil and get that straight before it's too late.
 

cbroad

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I absolutely Loooove the shape of the field maple leaves
I do to, there's something about these trees that strikes a chord with me, I wish these were native over here and not our red maples:confused:

I tried germinating a lot of these seeds a couple years ago that I found on a street tree in the city. Did the warm strat followed by a cold strat. I had a few germinate in the fridge, and planted them all out in the spring. Nothing popped up unfortunately... I read that some seeds need a double dormancy and that a lot of the seeds will be sterile. I dug around mine and found out a bunch were in fact sterile...

Definitely keep me posted about your seeds, tag me in the post. I may try seeds again next year.
 

cbroad

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@Paulpash
I definitely pay attention to all of you UK guys, especially when it comes to these trees! Let me know of any tricks or tips you have for these! Or you can direct me to a thread you have already about these.

I'm really envious that you guys can just go walk out in the woods and find these... I'll trade you for our red maples;)

The sap drawing method for ramification and close internodal branch building is definitely a technique I'll try to develop this tree.
 
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Paulpash

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@Paulpash
I definitely pay attention to all of you UK guys, especially when it comes to these trees! Let me know of any tricks or tips you have for these! Or you can direct me to a thread you have already about these.

I'm really envious that you guys can just go walk out in the woods and find these... I'll trade you for our red maples;)

The sap drawing method for ramification and close internodal branch building is definitely a technique I'll try to develop this tree.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/hedge-maple-tips-tricks-and-general-wisdom.39015/#post-658314. I've learnt to keep far more branches and buds than you need to absorb the strength of the Spring push. They also develop a plate nebari over time.

IMG_20201102_160921.jpg
 

leatherback

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cbroad

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https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/hedge-maple-tips-tricks-and-general-wisdom.39015/#post-658314. I've learnt to keep far more branches and buds than you need to absorb the strength of the Spring push. They also develop a plate nebari over time.
Thanks for the link! Haha seems I posted in that thread but forgot about that one, I'll bookmark it.

You definitely have a beautiful tree there, it gives me something to aspire to! I love the character of the gnarly trunk, it reminds me of an old tree you might see in a pasture.

I have definitely noticed they like to push a lot of growth from everywhere; luckily, I used that to my advantage to heal the chop, and it should be closed by summer.

My plan is to get the roots sorted out and repot into a cut down 15gal. and let it run. If it escapes, all the more better, but I'll have to watch it so I don't lose the taper.
 

cmeg1

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If mine don't stratify I'll be needing some of those lol
Cool...I want to sew 5-7per 2” block of stonewool.make mini forest multitrunks.
Assuming my USDA inspector gets back to me with certifications I gave her like five species to certify I’m sure she will.....
It’s like their job.
 

cbroad

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Buds were starting to move so I got the tree repotted on Saturday. Unfortunately, now temps are going back to 30s at night but if I didn't do it then, I'd probably miss the window.

I started sawing the rootball in half and felt something solid so I decided to saw off 1/3 instead. I hadn't really ever seen the roots and couldn't be sure I wasn't cutting into more trunk under the soil, so I opted for the safer route.

After an initial spraying of water:

IMG_20210313_134726441.jpg



After some untangling and cutting. Still can't really see whats going on with the surface roots:

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After a lot more untangling and cutting, I can finally see what's going on with the roots. The nebari definitely needs more work over the next few years, but I had a decent amount of thin and finer roots growing out off of the trunk.

There were some problem roots that I cut off or back and one root that elbowed at a right angle and might as well have been part of the trunk... There is at least one main root that's kind of stilt like that I don't care for; once I get these younger roots to thicken up I plan on trying to cut these bigger roots back harder or completely off:
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IMG_20210313_174019155.jpgIMG_20210313_174033672.jpg
 

cbroad

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Took off at least one bigger crossing root after the last pic and evened out the root spread a little. Planted on a board with some nails to direct roots also. At that point, I was a little rushed for time so I didn't take any pictures of that...

Planted in a cut down 15gal. pot with chunky peat moss and a crap ton of grade #3 perlite. The nebari is at least an inch below the soil, probably more.

IMG_20210314_184614633.jpgIMG_20210314_184628062.jpgIMG_20210314_184657384.jpg
 
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leatherback

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Good job.

You might find that you have new roots sprouting above you rcuttent nebari if you planted it that deep though..
 

cbroad

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Good job.

You might find that you have new roots sprouting above you rcuttent nebari if you planted it that deep though..
Thanks

I'm trying to encourage a more full nebari so I have more to cut back to at the next repot. I did consider it being too high, so my thought was to at least go through spring with it like that and maybe back it off in the summer after the spring push.
 

leatherback

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experiment and see what you get.
Rework, learn and improve.
Next/
 

BonsaiNaga13

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You could have tried for root cuttings with everything you cut off, or at least anything that had interesting movement. Im hoping to see activity from my seed tray any day now
 

cbroad

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You could have tried for root cuttings with everything you cut off
Haha they're still in my yard, maybe I'll pot them up and see what happens! I've already got an air layer and a few cuttings off of this one at least.

I definitely thought about it, as there were some thick roots, biggest was probably almost an inch diameter. I've never had success with maple root cuttings, at least with palmatums, but from what I've read maples don't seem to work at all or very often.
 

W3rk

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You could have tried for root cuttings with everything you cut off, or at least anything that had interesting movement. Im hoping to see activity from my seed tray any day now
It's my understanding that Maples do not regrow from roots (where other species such as Elm or Malus do).
 
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