Japanese Maple #22

[0soyoung]

First I want to understand the basics. Like deciding which direction a tree is pointing to.

Try looking first at the nebari. Then you eye will go upward, following the trunk. Then which way does your attention shift? Generally, it is going to be the same as the direction the trunk line leans/bends, but where the foliage is/isn't also matters.

 

[bonsaichile]

I do spray almost everything in late winter with diluted lime sulphur. This is against critters and fungi and also makes some barks lighter, like here.

Can you also spray pines and junipers with diluted lime sulfur, or would it stain the bark?

 

[Sthlmbonsai]

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Absolutely stunning Walter!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Try looking first at the nebari. Then you eye will go upward, following the trunk. Then which way does your attention shift? Generally, it is going to be the same as the direction the trunk line leans/bends, but where the foliage is/isn't also matters.

That's exactly why I'm asking. I can't see a general direction being stronger than the other. In a way, I feel like this tree is moving as much to the left, as it does to the right. It's very balanced to me. Walter says it's clear they move to the left. I'm missing something obvious here and I don't know what it is and why I'm missing it. My eye moves from the nebari, to the central tunk and the lower right hand branch. Then it goes to a strong left, and then a almost equally strong right. I just don't get it!

 

[Walter Pall]

Can you also spray pines and junipers with diluted lime sulfur, or would it stain the bark?

I said that I spray just about everything. This means everything.

 

[bonsaichile]

I said that i spray just about everything. This means everything.

Thank you, Walter

 

[Walter Pall]

My inexperience is blurring my view. I don't see it all that clear to be honest. I see the most left trunk pointing left, but the second trunk starts centered and moves left. I get that. But the main trunk starts off a bit centered. The main trunk moves right at the first bend, and then a hard left. But after that a very sharp right.
To be honest, I just don't know what to look for in terms of direction. But I'd like to know it in the future, since this is some basic aesthetic that's best to understand sooner than later, I think.
Is it the foliage that dictates direction, the placement of branches, the trunk? Everything combined?

As for future development, I am far, far away from refinement. So that's something I want to learn and worry about in the future. First I want to understand the basics. Like deciding which direction a tree is pointing to.

Your problem is that you don't know which picture to look at to make the direction decision. This is work in progress. i have only worked on this tree less than three years - ten more to go. Forget all pictures and ONLY look at the very last one. This shows the future front. In such progressions only the last images count. The rest is history to see how one arrived at the last one. And this is still not so meaningful, because the tree will be show ready only five years or later. You have selected an extremely difficult tree to learn about direction.

 

[cmeg1]

One of my favorites now!
That first photo....WOW

 

[AlainK]

So i guess this is what happens, when you let a couple of well placed root suckers go and develop them into mini trees

Japanese maples don't develop root suckers.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Your problem is that you don't know which picture to look at to make the direction decision. This is work in progress. i have only worked on this tree less than three years - ten more to go. Forget all pictures and ONLY look at the very last one. This shows the future front. In such progressions only the last images count. The rest is history to see how one arrived at the last one. And this is still not so meaningful, because the tree will be show ready only five years or later. You have selected an extremely difficult tree to learn about direction.

This will help, thanks! You're right about me wanting to use every picture for my analysis. I chose this exact tree to pose my questions, especially because I found it relatively hard to define the direction on my own. It takes a trained eye. I think it's a good exercise that way.

 

[BobbyLane]

Japanese maples don't develop root suckers.

Here's a Trident cutting that sent out a couple of shoots from a root. so i just assumed they did. maybe they dont, usually. can't say i see it a lot.
20170301_143912 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
2018-02-22_12-26-02 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

 

[Walter Pall]

getting better

 

[Walter Pall]

hedge pruning and defoliation.

 

[Walter Pall]

second flush this year - looking better.

 

[Walter Pall]

Japanese Maple #22 - getting more mature

 

[Walter Pall]

Japanese Maple #22 - an update

 

[Walter Pall]

Japanese Maple #22 - an update

 

[Davidlpf]

Great tree as always, thanks for sharing!

@Walter Pall , maybe you need an haircut too

Greetings

 

[12345_yes]

Amazing tree. For my own understanding... this is a composition of three trees of which the roots have merged right?

 

[Walter Pall]

Amazing tree. For my own understanding... this is a composition of three trees of which the roots have merged right?

They are on one root. I believe that a ong time ago the small trees were grafted onto the large root.