Maple Deadwood Work

[dpowell]

I finally got around to working on this large maple stump that I've been trying to decide what to do with since I got it. While the previous owner had it the top died from too much sun which is much of the reason I received the tree in the first place. I forgot to include something for scale, but it's quite large. The trunk is easily 4" across above the nebari and the tree is around 14" tall.
The first picture shows what I believe to be the original front and some of the dieback in the nebari that might be an issue. It also shows what a mess the branch structure is as this tree may have had an initial styling a number of years ago, but probably hasn't even been trimmed since then.
The second picture shows the "back" of the tree which is basically a large chainsaw cut that has been weathered for a number of years.
The exterior wood was quite hard and took quite a lot of carving to work my way through, but the interior of the trunk was rotten and punky. See picture 3 to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Pictures 4 & 5 show the tree after a very rough haircut and initial carving. I would have liked to do more, but I ran out of daylight today. It needs a lot more detail carving, trimming, and wiring still so please don't look at this as anywhere close to finished work.
My worry is will the rotten interior of the deadwood affect the health of the tree? I wasn't able to finish clearing out all the rotten stuff and I'm honestly not sure how far down it goes as I wasn't able to get to the bottom. I'm also worried about how the dieback in the nebari will affect the tree and would love to hear everyone's thoughts.
Danny

 

[Dav4]

I think you've done well considering what you had to work with. It is a great improvement. You need to establish a dominant branch/apex now so you need to pick one of those branches and wire one branchlet up and let it grow to thicken that new trunk segment. As far as the interior rotting out, there isn't much you can do except make sure your carving allows water to drain away. Most very old bonsai and landscape trees, and certainly maples, rot out on the inside and are usually quite hollow. This is not a big deal healthwise because the interior wood is dead and serves no purpose for the living portions of the tree. Keep the tree healthy and growing well and you should do fine.

 

[JudyB]

The carving looks very nice. What kind of carving tool did you use? I think I'd keep the top of it going in the general direction that it is already, it seems to have a natural appeal for me this way. But that's just me...

 

[bougie nights]

Maple is not very rot resistant, so you may want to carve in a way thay prevents the pooling of water.

 

[raydomz]

I'm thinking along the same lines and bougie on this one. Most hollows I've seen on maples(or any others for the matter) have an exit hole that has been drilled or made to look like the hollow extends the length of the trunk.
I must say though, this is one bad ass maple. VERY nice. Excited to see what comes of it.

 

[dpowell]

Thanks for the advice, I'm not sure what I'm planning on doing to the top yet. I kind of like it without an apex, but there's a lot left to do so we'll see how long that thought lasts. I know I'm going to move one of the branches towards the back to give the tree some depth. I think after repotting this spring I'll have a better idea of the exact front and can see if it needs a true apex or not.
The hollow is well below the live portion of the trunk and is out of reach of my dremel so I'm going to see if I have a long drill bit tomorrow and try and poke a hole through the base. I have no idea what the roots are like so we'll have to see how well that works.
Judy - I used a dremel and a terrier bit from Kaizen Bonsai for almost all the carving. I have some smaller bits for detail stuff, but have yet to use them as I'm still working out the rough design. That and a lot of it is still falling apart as I remove more rotted wood.

 

[JudyB]

Good to know about that carving tool thing, I've been debating on whether to get a terrier for my dremel, or get a die grinder. I'll watch this proj. with interest, keep us posted!

 

[dpowell]

I should clarify when I said Dremel, I really meant die grinder. Obviously wasn't thinking when I was typing that out. I have one of the 1/4" Makita die grinders and am very happy with it. It would have taken me forever to hollow that thing out with a dremel. The bits are quite expensive so I'm hoping they last me a while, we'll have to see. I'll be sure to post some follow up pictures when I'm done wiring and carving.

 

[Dav4]

I've had a Makita die grinder for 4 years and have used kutz all burrs for heavy wood removal...they work well. I picked up what I think is a terrier bit (long shaft with 3 cutting heads) from Dale Colchoy this fall and I love it. It seems to be more easy to control and the longer shaft allows you to work in harder to reach areas. As far as your tree is concerned, scoop out as much of the rotted, punky wood as you can. You may find that it has already rotted down through the bottom. If not, you can drill it out now if you have the right bit, or you can do it when you re-pot this spring. The remaining heartwood is going to rot out eventually no matter what you do and unless it is important structurally or artistically(I don't really see that being the case but could be wrong), I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

I'd be looking into some wood hardener for the carved area when you get it like you want it. You don't do that and it will rot down to the soil level.

 

[dpowell]

Mac - it's rotted all the way to the soil already. I'm working on excavating the rotten wood still, but haven't had much time lately. It has already changed a bit from the previous posted picture due to simply removing more rotted wood. I'll update again with a new picture after the holidays.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

PM me for my address for delivery of this tree.... I wouldn't want you to have to continue to work on such a gnarly half dead looking thing

great tree... with lots of great potential.... eventually you will need to apply a wood hardener (many of which only work on punky wet wood) .... I believe [don't quote me on it] that Kathy Shaner uses PC Petrifier to harden wood and looks 100% natural... we use an epoxy material sometimes ... it's called "Cures Rot" but it may no longer be made....

What a treasure to have such an ancient looking gnarly trunk fall in your lap.....

 

[dpowell]

Well maybe if you invite me to one of your collecting trips we can see what we can work out =p

Thanks for the advice on the wood hardeners. I'm still not sure how much of the deadwood is worth saving, or whether I want to save much of it. The parts where it's just live wood are very interesting and sturdy enough to support the tree. I don't think I'll be treating the wood anytime soon to see what natural weathering can do.

 

[Ang3lfir3]

Well maybe if you invite me to one of your collecting trips we can see what we can work out =p

I've only been a few times myself .... it's harder and more costly (time and money) than it sounds.... but its an amazing adventure...

depending on what is left of the wood re sculpture you may at least want to protect some portions of it..... I look forward to seeing more pics of the deadwood.... and of course more images of the trees progress

 

[dpowell]

Completely wired the tree, drilled a hole through the bottom, and put some diluted lime sulfur on for preservation. It was diluted enough and the wood had the embers scorched so you shouldn't see any unnatural whiteness from the lime sulfur.
I ended up moving a branch up as an apex of sorts and brought a couple back branches closer together in order to create more depth. I trimmed off a lot as there were quite a few long branches with long internodes as well as lots of bar branches.
I plan on repotting in the spring to a new angle and a smaller pot that hopefully won't weigh a ton and then letting it grow and recover.

 

[tmmason10]

That looks fantastic, nice work so far! Great job with the carving.

 

[JudyB]

That came out really nice. And the nebari looks killer from what I can see... Nice natural coloration for using lime sulfur.

 

[raydomz]

Wow this looks great! Nice work.

 

[dpowell]

I'm not sure about the nebari in the front as it's partially buried. I'm not sure what I'll find underneath, but that's one of the reasons I want to repot this spring. The nebari in back is very well developed, but does have some dead areas that I need to take care of. Always more work to do...

 

[dpowell]

An update with it leafing out and repotted in good soil and a bonsai pot. Just a cheap mica pot, but it is literally the only bonsai pot I had big enough for it. It's leafing out slower than the rest of my maples, but it's also the oldest one I have by far so I'm assuming that's why. It's also the first time it has been repotted in some time so hopefully the roots will catch up soon. My goal is to just let it grow and regain strength this year and to reassess this winter after leaf drop.