Japanese Maple Book?

digger714

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What would be the best book to learn Japanese Maple Bonsai techniques? or one that looks at the different cultivars? I just ordered JM- The Complete Guide S & C 4th Edition. I dont think it has alot about bonsai, just identifying the different cultivars. Thanks for any info.
 
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Brian Van Fleet

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What techniques are you looking for?

Digging through old Bonsai Today magazines will be fruitful, since they're so commonly used in Japan. Peter Chan and Colin Lewis both address them in their earlier books.

I'm not aware of a book that only deals with JM techniques...but it doesn't mean none exist.
 

Smoke

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Peter Adams is the only one with a book on bonsai with maples worth buying. The second edition is pretty good though the earlier work from 1984 is a better book in my opinion. Many of the techniques on maples written in the first book have been reprinted in the new edition. It is available thru Stone lantern while Amazon lists it also. It is readily available right now so get it before it too disappears.

The first edition is a collector item.
 

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digger714

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I guess im mainly interested in the different types of maples. The leaves just fascinate me, and want to know as much as i can as they relate to bonsai. As in which types work better, different times to do work for different cultivars, etc. or do they all respond the same to work being done on them?
 

Smoke

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Maples are funny trees. They respond differently according to the bazillion micro climates USA has to offer. For the most part the trident maple will offer the best performance for bonsai technique, while the palmatums are hard to beat for leaf beauty. They are not as forgiving as trident while trident have very few health problems, palmatums can be wrought with problems.

Palmatums work very well as larger trees and tridents seem to be better for shohin sized trees. Tridents leaves reduce very well while palmatums reduce, just not as much. That is why they seem better for larger bonsai. Most all the maples have the same internal clock as far as bonsai technique, with tridents being more hardy as far as chopping and grafting.

Chopping tridents is almost bullet proof, while chopping palmatums can end in death fairly easily. Palmatums are more susceptable to verticillium wilt while tridents never suffer from this affliction. Many beautiful palmatum species are grafted on to mountain maple roots while tridents do well on their own. Getting good rarer palmatum stock with good grafts is more difficult to do.

I may seem biased here but after growing over 100 maples as bonsai I can speak from the heart about tridents while palmatums have not been as good for me. I have a few but they tend to be a little finickey for me.
 

digger714

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Ill have to agree about them being strong trees. Ive worked with alot of tridents. Ive dug up hundreds from 1" to 3". We chopped and cut, and rootpruned, and they all came back strong as can be. Ive got one palmatum that is a graft, but thought the rest i would get should be cuttings. Does anyone agree with that? Do cuttings grow better, or are grafted trees stronger? Thanks for the info smoke.

Are there things you can do to help your chances when chopping a palmatum?
 
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Dav4

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If you want a great book just on Acer palmatum cultivars, get "Japanese Maples" by J.D. Vertrees. It lists/describes almost every type of cultivar currently grown, with great pics to boot. However, I think the word 'bonsai' is mentioned only once. If you want a book on developing maples as bonsai material, get Peter Adam's book.
 

Vance Wood

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If you want a great book just on Acer palmatum cultivars, get "Japanese Maples" by J.D. Vertrees. It lists/describes almost every type of cultivar currently grown, with great pics to boot. However, I think the word 'bonsai' is mentioned only once. If you want a book on developing maples as bonsai material, get Peter Adam's book.

Agree on both counts. Vertrees is useless for bonsai, but the Adams' book is just about the single best book on Maple techniques. I have the 84 edition and would not trade it for anything.
 

FrankP999

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Agree on both counts. Vertrees is useless for bonsai, but the Adams' book is just about the single best book on Maple techniques. I have the 84 edition and would not trade it for anything.
I agree on both counts also. I have both Adams as well as the Vertrees. The earlier Adams book is better than the new one.

Frank
 

sfhellwig

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Since we all agree the book to get is the Peter Adams, can any one tell me what it is about the earlier version that makes it better? I read the newer version on library loan. It was supposed to be updated with follow-ups of the original trees. Was there content deleted?

To the OP it includes sections written as step-by-step, this is what you cut in this year/season. It shows grow boxes and tying roots to plates for ground planting. I wish I knew of more books like this for other species. If you have the stock and 5-10 years this book shows you how to start the beautiful staggered, tapered maples you drool over in pictures.

-As much as a book can teach you these things and 5-10 years is the starting time frame.-

My bonsai purchases are limited. This book is on my Christmas list and I will be quite unhappy if it does not come to me this year. I have many small JM and need this book on my shelf.
 

digger714

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I Ordered both books last night from amazon, and just got an email that they were shipped. Thanks everyone for the input.
 

jk_lewis

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I had the older version, got the newer version, read it and gave away the older version.
 

jk_lewis

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I found nothing I needed in the old book that wasn't covered, and covered better, in the new one, and the new one had more and more detailed info.
 

jquast

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sfhellwig

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A copy did find it's way to me but thanks for the listing. For a new copy that is a fair price with cheap shipping. Hopefully this helps anyone who was waiting for a good opportunity to purchase this book.
 

Concorde

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Peter Adams

I have been taking a three year workshop with Peter Adams. My project tree is a trident and it is looking great. When is comes to any books on maples Peter Adams is the best. This coming year I will be starting another 3 year workshop with Peter. My tree has a 5 inch base, 15 inch nebari, green leaf maple that I purchased from Guy Guidry in 2008. Just killer tree. I will post pics.

Art
 
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