Jap. Maple hard prune and repotting

[marcosolo]

Chopped this guy back pretty hard and reduced the root mass WAY back...I'm really undecided on what to do with the top half of this tree past the first branch......but here's a nice progression from nursery stock to some promising pre-bonsai stock...














more pics next post...seems I can only attach 5 at one time......

 

[marcosolo]

This guy isn't getting touched till next spring....but some designing advice would be taken into consideration...Shoot away

 

[berobinson82]

May I inquire about your planting medium and training pot?

 

[dpowell]

Chop down to about 1-2 inches above the first branch and make the first branch your new leader.

 

[marcosolo]

Half sifted hemlock, half various porous inorganics.....I just got back to Bonsai literally a week ago after a three year hiatus and I'm running through what i had left when i dropped off.....And to chopping off 2 inches past the first branch, there is some taper going all the way up till a little after the second branch....I was thinking keep everything and chop above the second and pray that I get some nice bud placement for alternating branches and a new leader.....theres already some decent ramification on the branches to build off of and i'd hate to just waste it like that...But,with that said, I hear you on chopping low and training up.....I just have always had a bad case of separation anxiety when it comes to big branches....

 

[marcosolo]

and in regards the training pot...being as I'm doing a lot of things "on the fly" so to speak because of the limited supplies I have on hand, I just cut the bottom out of the nursery pot it originally came in and used wires to twist the plastic into a dimension that was shallow, but not so much that there was no edge to hold soil......This is all very un-orthodox, but I've seen and done stranger...Also, if someone could point me in the direction of a good soil retailer, I'd be much obliged.....A 1 to 3 organic/inorganics would be preferable....