Japanese maple (shirasawanum golden full moon maple) - pre-bonsai

[Florian]

Hello!
I bought this Japanese maple 2 days ago, and I need your help in taking some first decisions. I want this tree to develop a thick trunk, which means the tree needs a bigger pot. Should I wait until next year to move it into a different pot? Also, the soil seems to be just compost, and I could drill some more holes for a better drainage, but should I change the soil?
I think the tree was put in that pot for some time, because there are some long roots at the bottom.
Any advice will be well-received. Thank you!

 

[dbonsaiw]

Welcome. I am assuming the seasons in Poland are similar to the US. If this is correct, I would probably wait until next year to get it into a new pot/soil. If the pot is full of roots, you could probably also slip pot it into something larger. Also, tree should go outside.

 

[Florian]

Welcome. I am assuming the seasons in Poland are similar to the US. If this is correct, I would probably wait until next year to get it into a new pot/soil. If the pot is full of roots, you could probably also slip pot it into something larger. Also, tree should go outside.

Thank you! Glad to be part of this community. Yeah, I would say the seasons are quite the same. We have temperatures now between 25-28 degrees Celsius or 77-82 Fahrenheit during the day. Looks like on Saturday it will drop to 18 C/64 F during the day and around 4 C/39 F during the night. I might get the tree inside. Currently, it is on my balcony. It gets like 6–7 hours of sun, with a bit of shade during those hours. Thank you for your reply! Much appreciated!

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I've got one of these growing in a large pot in the yard and it hasn't thickened much at all in 3 yrs. Certainly don't cut anything and maybe consider buying a faster growing variety while you wait on this one. Trident maples are fast if you can find one.

 

[Florian]

I've got one of these growing in a large pot in the yard and it hasn't thickened much at all in 3 yrs. Certainly don't cut anything and maybe consider buying a faster growing variety while you wait on this one. Trident maples are fast if you can find one.

Thank you! I got a Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold" tree, also known as Wintercreep. Quite beautiful. I want to make a bonsai out of it, so I'll have something to work on while the maple grows.