I couldn't help myself

Erndogy

Mame
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So I visited house of bonsai a couple weeks ago with some cash burning a hole in my pocket...
And I found a grove of trident maples in the back of the place. I bought one. I went back on Tuesday to pick it up. Here it is.

Very Large Trident Hieght.jpg

Its over 4ft high.

Very Large Trident Nebari Comparison.jpg

Nice movement near the bottom, at least I think so.

Very Large Trident Trunk.jpg

5" base.

Very Large Trident nebari.jpg

Maybe I could do something with this nebari?

Very Large Trident Roots.jpg

These are the roots.

I didn't chop it because I'm thinking I could try to air layer it and get a couple more big trunks from it.

I would like your input on styling and what you think about my air layer ideas and what is the best way to go about it.

Thanks
Ernie
 

Erndogy

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Oh yeah, next to the trident maple grove there is a crab apple grove and two of them had to be removed to get my tree out. I got a good deal on this one.

Crab Apple Front.jpg

Right side

Crab Apple Right.jpg

Nebari

Crab Apple Nebari.jpg

After I potted it I placed it next to one of my other recently potted tridents in my recovery area.

Crab Trident Recovery.jpg

Ernie
 

Poink88

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pwk5017

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Ok, call me crazy, but what about grafting seedlings onto the huge roots? Once they take, chop the big roots back to the grafting point. I have had less than spectacular results ground-layering before. Worst thing that happens is it fails and you then try ground-layering. Very Large Trident nebari.jpgVery Large Trident nebari.jpg
 

Poink88

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I would have chopped the big roots much shorter then graft in between those directly to the base.
 

Dav4

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Grafting might work, but you'll need ALOT of grafts and there is no guarantee they will take. I still think a ground layer will be the fastest, most successful way to an acceptable nebari on this material.
 

pwk5017

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I think even Al will tell you that layering does not always produce spectacular radial roots. I think he did well with the one trident that he ring barked and applied root hormone to.
 

Erndogy

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Nice score on both!

I took 8 cuttings from the 3 shown. My cuttings (and the mother trees) are already leafing out.

Nice! Those are some big cuttings. If they work out for you I will have to try some of my own..
 

Erndogy

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Nice crabapple, they are my favorite.

I hope I can make a decent bonsai out of it...

I think your best option for those roots is to get rid of them...I'd try a ground layer.

Before just cutting them off I want to try other options first...

Ok, call me crazy, but what about grafting seedlings onto the huge roots? Once they take, chop the big roots back to the grafting point. I have had less than spectacular results ground-layering before. Worst thing that happens is it fails and you then try ground-layering. View attachment 31874View attachment 31874

That's a thought. I did think of grafting those roots but not with seedlings.. Thanks..

I say look up Smoke's work on Tridents and do exactly as he says...

Yeah I am going to review his work and am hoping for some of his input..

Thanks

Ernie
 

Erndogy

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Does anyone know if those big roots will back-bud?

I saw a couple ror tridents at the San Gabriel nursery that had what seemed to be suckers on a couple roots. They had let them grow and they looked like ror raft style( I guess that would be the best way to describe them?) They did not look to me like they were grafts.

Or, how about root cuttings? I actually am trying a few root cuttings from an elm and liquidamber. I wonder if it would work with tridents? I'll have to do some research....


Ernie
 

Poink88

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I tried root cuttings on my tridents too but I am not very hopeful. I don't think it is like ficus or crabapple (both I've done root cuttings successfully) but we will see. :)
 

Erndogy

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I tried root cuttings on my tridents too but I am not very hopeful. I don't think it is like ficus or crabapple (both I've done root cuttings successfully) but we will see. :)

Well, on Smokes' blog he states that root cuttings are supposed to take pretty fast..

I think I unintentionally got a palmatum cutting started. I pruned a small JM and the cuttings fell into a prostate juni pot. I didnt even pay attention to it because I did it when I was moving things around in my backyard and cleaning it up. The other day I noticed the buds on the cutting are starting to swell. It has been in the shade with no direct sunlight at all. I hope that's whats going on. I don't plan on touching it until it either withers or takes off. Somebody posted on here that leaves can pop even on un-rooted cuttings.

I do have another three seedling tridents that were growing in a pot with a nana in it. It came from a Mr Benny Kim's bonsai nursery. I remember him saying that the maples were a freebie..
Anyway, I transplanted them to individual pots. They were a couple feet tall and I cut them in half - I was afraid to cut them any shorter. I just stuck the cuttings into a tub I have a JM growing in. Lets see if anything happens. I read on a post here that trident cuttings might need some bottom heat in order to get going. If they don't go this year I plan to put my old reptile cages and heat pads to good use next spring....

Ernie
 
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