Japanese maple raft project

[Dav4]

Wingin' it estimate, around 13 inches from rootball edge to rootball edge on this material?
I can only estimate correctly when there is a bunch of beer cans in the photo....

Definitely wider... I'll bust out the tape measure when I get home.

 

[LanceMac10]

Definitely wider... I'll bust out the tape measure when I get home.

Tape measure!!! You have kids, how long until the tape measure fails to fascinate?!?! I need a "find a tape measure app"!!!!
Sorry, random rant....trigger word!!!

 

[Dav4]

The training pot is over 19" wide with the individual root balls up against opposite sides... gonna need a WIDE pot for this one.

 

[Dav4]

Decent fall color for a change...

 

[Cadillactaste]

The bones are amazing! Great fall color for sure...going to love watching this one develop.

 

[LanceMac10]

Yep....that's some swank lookin' stuff.

Good color for the near tropics.....


Rare is the raft raging for recognition........

 

[drew33998]

The middle tree doesnt seem to be growing as vigorously

 

[Dav4]

The middle tree doesnt seem to be growing as vigorously

It is.... will eventually be the biggest trunk.

 

[Dav4]

Cleaned up and cut back.

 

[Paulpash]

Very nice I'm doing a 5 tree maple raft so I will be eagerly watching the famed @Dav4 machinations with interest

 

[Dav4]

Another year of root and canopy development ends and another begins. This one took a glancing blow from the oak tree debacle last December and lost the apex off the tallest trunk on the right, but was otherwise unharmed. The roots continue to improve, but getting it into a larger wooden box and using the board to adjust the root mass on the right will speed things up and will keep @Adair M off my back.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Have you ever heard the “rule” that raft Bonsai are supposed to have the original root system on the left, like you do? I heard that YEARS ago and never really thought much of it, other than trees fall in all directions so it seemed a bit absurd. Yours is coming along nicely. It will be kinda whimsical to end up with perfect radial nebari sitting on that board.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Looks great @Dav4!!! So glad that tree didn't take this one out. Love its been in your care from day one. It was begging for a raft project.

 

[Dav4]

Have you ever heard the “rule” that raft Bonsai are supposed to have the original root system on the left, like you do? I heard that YEARS ago and never really thought much of it, other than trees fall in all directions so it seemed a bit absurd. Yours is coming along nicely. It will be kinda whimsical to end up with perfect radial nebari sitting on that board.

No, never heard of that rule, though I'm pleased to hear my creation conforms to it by pure luck.
The question of the roots and how to work that right side was something I thought long and hard over. Keeping the overall impression as being wild was important, but I need the roots to grow well and thought spreading them out on the board would help that job along. Having an even and balanced nebari there wouldn't necessarily come in conflict with the design as it stands, but I'm thinking I may attempt to instill some asymmetry there if possible at a future re-pot...maybe... we'll see... it's kind of fun to play around with all the possibilities with this one.

 

[Adair M]

Another year of root and canopy development ends and another begins. This one took a glancing blow from the oak tree debacle last December and lost the apex off the tallest trunk on the right, but was otherwise unharmed. The roots continue to improve, but getting it into a larger wooden box and using the board to adjust the root mass on the right will speed things up and will keep @Adair M off my back.
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Dave, this bad boy has potential to be a future NC Expo winner! Forget using one WIIIDE pot! No, thus is calling for two separate pots! One for each side. And in two Expo fashion, they ought not match!

If course, if you want to win people’s Choice, you need to get a couple mudmen... maybe one in a boat kinda going under the tree, and the other fishing.

Now, if want to do this full on Redneck, use a little Burt Reynolds doll, on a raft, and do a Deliverance theme... (Would that be a ROR style? Raft Over Raft?). I’m sure we can get a little speaker and have Dueling Banjos playing!

 

[Dav4]

Dave, this bad boy has potential to be a future NC Expo winner! Forget using one WIIIDE pot! No, thus is calling for two separate pots! One for each side. And in two Expo fashion, they ought not match!

If course, if you want to win people’s Choice, you need to get a couple mudmen... maybe one in a boat kinda going under the tree, and the other fishing.

Now, if want to do this full on Redneck, use a little Burt Reynolds doll, on a raft, and do a Deliverance theme... (Would that be a ROR style? Raft Over Raft?). I’m sure we can get a little speaker and have Dueling Banjos playing!

Holy crap, that's funny... and it's given me some ideas for future showings!!

 

[Gsquared]

What I love about this tree is how natural it is. Raft style is so underutilized, and I love the style, but this tree kind of blows all of those out of the water. It really has the feels an old, toppled tree trunk that continues to sprout and survive. I really like it.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Would you consider the two sides in two different pots.. or two halves of a broken pot? I know probably would look ridiculous, but just spitballing here.

 

[Dav4]

Would you consider the two sides in two different pots.. or two halves of a broken pot? I know probably would look ridiculous, but just spitballing here.

I've personally always pictured this one being shown in a single wide, shallow pot. The idea to have each root section in a separate section is interesting but unlikely to happen at this juncture in the tree's (and my) journey. If I keep it long enough and get bored with it, who knows. Finding the appropriate pot segments would be challenging to say the least.

 

[LanceMac10]

If I say @Roy Minarai enough times, maybe one of these slick puppies could find it's way under your "Yule Log" this holiday season?!?!