Future of this collected maple

[Forrestford]

Last summer I collected this maple at a school park in my neighborhood. From the looks of it, it got run over by a lawnmower?
Anyways, it had great radial roots, no rap root when I dug it up. Which is strange for trees around here. It’s got great movement, I love it. The only thing it there is a big split down the middle of it.
I’m trying to figure out my first move in the spring.
I need help on what I should do to correct it. I was thinking of letting it grow all next season and then pick the leader and cut back to that. Should I do any maintenance to the tree in the spring?

Cutting back past the split is also an option.

If I left it to grow would the split effect the tree overtime?

Any help would be awesome.

-Forrest

 

[Jcmmaple]

Cool little tree, maybe cut the branch and play with some carving? Nice find though.

 

[bonsaichile]

I think you can try to either hide the split or incorporate it into the design of the tree. I would try to do the latter.

 

[Forrestford]

I think you can try to either hide the split or incorporate it into the design of the tree. I would try to do the latter.

how do you mean incorporate? I think if I were to remove Anything it might look even worse, so i'm for keeping it just not sure how

 

[BonsaiNaga13]

If you removed one of the branches at the split and did some carving itd heal over eventually

 

[Shinjuku]

how do you mean incorporate?

This means to make the split the focus of your design - so that when people see your tree, one of the first things that they would notice is the split. At some point in the future, you might consider carving out the split more to make the split larger and more obvious. Then, you might set the tree in the pot so that the split is at or near the very front of the tree.

There are two basic options. The first is to try to hide the split (the “flaw”). However the suggestion here is not to see the split as a “flaw” but as an opportunity for a very unique and interesting design. You see nice maples with a curved trunk everywhere, but it’s rare to see a maple with a very interesting split like this. Someone wrote (Maybe it was Walter Pall?) to take what is ugly about a tree and to make it uglier in order to make the tree more beautiful.

We often have a pre-conceived idea of what we want a beautiful tree to be. Sometimes, the tree offers up a different definition of what “beauty” is, and then we have to decide what to do with it. (It’s not just trees that do this. Life is the same way.)

So in other words, this tree is handing you a lemon with this split, so make some delicious lemonade with it.

In the meantime, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to just let it grow for another season to get more vigor and strength before you worry about removing anything.

 

[River's Edge]

This means to make the split the focus of your design - so that when people see your tree, one of the first things that they would notice is the split. At some point in the future, you might consider carving out the split more to make the split larger and more obvious. Then, you might set the tree in the pot so that the split is at or near the very front of the tree.

There are two basic options. The first is to try to hide the split (the “flaw”). However the suggestion here is not to see the split as a “flaw” but as an opportunity for a very unique and interesting design. You see nice maples with a curved trunk everywhere, but it’s rare to see a maple with a very interesting split like this. Someone wrote (Maybe it was Walter Pall?) to take what is ugly about a tree and to make it uglier in order to make the tree more beautiful.

We often have a pre-conceived idea of what we want a beautiful tree to be. Sometimes, the tree offers up a different definition of what “beauty” is, and then we have to decide what to do with it. (It’s not just trees that do this. Life is the same way.)

So in other words, this tree is handing you a lemon with this split, so make some delicious lemonade with it.

In the meantime, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to just let it grow for another season to get more vigor and strength before you worry about removing anything.

Great advice. Second, the let it grow out for a season or two. In fact, I would repot this spring, work on the roots and fresh soil to maximize root growth and recovery. The surface vegetation on the pot indicates restricted drainage and a certain degree of saturation that should be corrected.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I too like the idea of leaving it at least another season to see how it starts to develop. The movement is great and it even is starting to develop some nice bark. Clean up any stubs that remain and get the spit healed over. However you may decide to remove one of the major two branches and keep the other as the leader. Right now it looks like they are diverging nicely and will give you a balanced crown to develop. As suggested get it into some good well draining bonsai soil if it is not already and feed it to push development this spring/summer.

 

[Forrestford]

This means to make the split the focus of your design - so that when people see your tree, one of the first things that they would notice is the split. At some point in the future, you might consider carving out the split more to make the split larger and more obvious. Then, you might set the tree in the pot so that the split is at or near the very front of the tree.

There are two basic options. The first is to try to hide the split (the “flaw”). However the suggestion here is not to see the split as a “flaw” but as an opportunity for a very unique and interesting design. You see nice maples with a curved trunk everywhere, but it’s rare to see a maple with a very interesting split like this. Someone wrote (Maybe it was Walter Pall?) to take what is ugly about a tree and to make it uglier in order to make the tree more beautiful.

We often have a pre-conceived idea of what we want a beautiful tree to be. Sometimes, the tree offers up a different definition of what “beauty” is, and then we have to decide what to do with it. (It’s not just trees that do this. Life is the same way.)

So in other words, this tree is handing you a lemon with this split, so make some delicious lemonade with it.

In the meantime, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to just let it grow for another season to get more vigor and strength before you worry about removing anything.

I like that quote.
to take what is ugly about a tree and to make it uglier in order to make the tree more beautiful.
Ill weigh out the options/try to find some pics to go off of. Ive never "carved out a split" so I dont want to mess it up. BUT i tend to agree with you that there are many maples with curved trunks. I think i should incorporate it somehow...

 

[Forrestford]

Great advice. Second, the let it grow out for a season or two. In fact, I would repot this spring, work on the roots and fresh soil to maximize root growth and recovery. The surface vegetation on the pot indicates restricted drainage and a certain degree of saturation that should be corrected.

Oh yeah. This past summer I collected a lot of trees I use basic potting soil at first because not all of the trees make it. No sense in waisting my expensive substrates if the tree dies. (I know not the best way to think) This summer ill repot for sure. Thanks

 

[Forrestford]

I too like the idea of leaving it at least another season to see how it starts to develop. The movement is great and it even is starting to develop some nice bark. Clean up any stubs that remain and get the spit healed over. However you may decide to remove one of the major two branches and keep the other as the leader. Right now it looks like they are diverging nicely and will give you a balanced crown to develop. As suggested get it into some good well draining bonsai soil if it is not already and feed it to push development this spring/summer.

Will do. I think ill repot and let is grow for another year. when you say get the split healed over, do you mean clean up the split and apply paste?

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Let it overgrow and encapsulate the exposed wood. If there is a small dead stub as I think I saw in ine photo you could go ahead and trim it back too. If there is any exposed dead wood in the open wound area you could smear some Elmers wood glue on it. Basically though as long as it is vigorusly expanding the bark over the split then it is doing the job. I had a big split open a couple winters ago in a tulip poplar in my yard—must have been 20’ long—can’t even find it today.

 

[bonsaidave]

@Forrestford nice little tree, good find. Try to think longer term. Just let nature do it's thing. You are looking at several years to heal up. The tree will take years to create a decent bonsai (branch structure, ramification, and so on) so don't stress too much.

You have good advice in this thread.
If you want more, Search "trident calluses" posted a month ago has some good callus advice. There is a lot of good info in that search bar ;D

 

[Silentrunning]

To give you an idea of how hardy Maples are, here is one on my property that must have been hit by lightning or wind damaged many years ago. The entire top of the tree is on the other side of my driveway rotting away. My great grandson can get inside the tree. This tree still has beautiful leaves and tons of seeds each spring. If you can find a skilled mentor, you could cut the scar out and make a very unique tree.

 

[Forrestford]

To give you an idea of how hardy Maples are, here is one on my property that must have been hit by lightning or wind damaged many years ago. The entire top of the tree is on the other side of my driveway rotting away. My great grandson can get inside the tree. This tree still has beautiful leaves and tons of seeds each spring. If you can find a skilled mentor, you could cut the scar out and make a very unique tree.

What a great example thanks. Yeah im not confidient enough to carve. but hey, thats how you learn.

 

[Forrestford]

@Forrestford nice little tree, good find. Try to think longer term. Just let nature do it's thing. You are looking at several years to heal up. The tree will take years to create a decent bonsai (branch structure, ramification, and so on) so don't stress too much.

You have good advice in this thread.
If you want more, Search "trident calluses" posted a month ago has some good callus advice. There is a lot of good info in that search bar ;D

Yeah, no rush. I know healing takes a while. For now just repot and ill collect some more trees this spring to experiement on. Thanks Dave

 

[B.uneasy]

more recent pictures?

 

[Forrestford]

more recent pictures?

RIP sadly :/ it didn't make to spring. But hey, you live and you learn.

 

[B.uneasy]

RIP sadly :/ it didn't make to spring. But hey, you live and you learn.

That's unfortunate. I've had my favorites die.

 

[Forrestford]

That's unfortunate. I've had my favorites die.

Yeah at the time it was my favorite tree, mainly because I didn't have much and this was the one that "looked bonsai". When I collected it I put it in potting soil and piled moss on the top. by the time i repotted it everything was rotted and dead.
Oh well. Lesson learned.