Getting started with acer

[Jaberwky17]

I have an amur in the ground growing patiently and gaining some girth, but am interested in starting another 1-2 maples to feed my growing interest in deciduous trees. Definitely don't want trident (I don't like the leaf shape). Seems a simple green Japanese maple might be best. If I would like to have a workable little tree for fun in about 3-4 years, does it make more sense to buy a 6-8 year old sapling that have been kept small as pre-bonsai, or go find a nursery sapling with decent lower trunk and some nebari that I can chop down and grow out?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

[barrosinc]

It´s a matter of taste actually... I went the route of a larger 3-4" trunk nursery stock, it is now in a training box.

i think next autumn I will have to wire, maybe repot next year or ground layer, then prune and do stuff each year as the trunk is already there.

Depends on budgets too...

 

[Eric Group]

I have an amur in the ground growing patiently and gaining some girth, but am interested in starting another 1-2 maples to feed my growing interest in deciduous trees. Definitely don't want trident (I don't like the leaf shape). Seems a simple green Japanese maple might be best. If I would like to have a workable little tree for fun in about 3-4 years, does it make more sense to buy a 6-8 year old sapling that have been kept small as pre-bonsai, or go find a nursery sapling with decent lower trunk and some nebari that I can chop down and grow out?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

Generally Deciduous will take a while to get something nice. You would be better off buying something already grown out with a decent trunk, then chopped and initially styled if you have a 3 year target. Anything you buy with a trunk of around an inch or less will require years of free growth to increase trunk girth, then a chop, repot... Which is a 5-6 year + project normally.

 

[Jaberwky17]

My plan is to start watching local nurseries for late season sales and find a decent trunk base to work with. The main problem with that is I won't get JM around here - will have to be another variety with smaller/reducible leaves.

 

[Jaberwky17]

update

I found a little JM at a shop in MN this weekend. I will post pics later. It was a little overpriced but the proceeds go to a local nonprofit and by the time I factor shipping cost in, meh...

My question is this: I do not intend to touch the roots, but I am not keen on the soil mix it came in. My goal is to remove the bad soil and replace with good stuff. Am I asking for trouble if I do this in the middle of summer?

 

[fourteener]

Yes, I would until spring and repot it then. Just remember it doesn't need to be watered as much as your other trees.