My large maple

[PieterVE]

So about 14 days ago I bought this large maple from someone who stops with his bonsai.
It came without a pot, and was put for a week or so by the previous owner in the ground.
Upon arrival I did put it in a grey trey, with rootcloth in to prevent the soil from falling out. Then sphagnum on top, trey on some styrofoam, and a sturdy brown cloth around the trey for protection against the negative degrees celsius and the snow we had that week.
And it stayed in my cold greenhouse like that.
Last sunday I had finally the time to do a decent repotting.
I reused the trey as a trainingpot, had to comb out the roots, and even washed out some old dirt from underneath.
Cut a nice oval rootball and potted it in a mix of akadama/kanuma/pumice/kyriu.
A layer of lava at the bottom for drainage. Again some sphagnum on top.
I do hope it will respond well this spring, as there are dry branches that will need to be replaced by new growth. Maybe even with grafting, I look forward trying these techniques for the first time.
It stands now at 12-13cm at the base, and 104cm approx of height, but I will reduce that to about 92cm once I see it revive.

 

[hinmo24t]

rad

 

[leatherback]

Nice tree.

Is there a reason you kept the rootball so uniform? Do you know what the main roots look like? Or you trust all is OK in there?

Once you get this healthy and growing, you will not need grafting I am pretty sure. A few good trims should get you loads of new branches to pop.


Is this about the point of reduction you envision?

 

[PieterVE]

Hi Jelle,
I tried to pry with the bamboo stick but couldn't get trough around that base, so left that hard part as it was, and I cut about to 1 cm around the base and left fine roots all around, hence that form, I feel it was cut like that before.

Then with the water hose I cleaned up all the dirt on top of the base and underneath.

Underneath I used my knob cutter to even out everything and to take away some larger and harder roots. There were some black roots too that snapped when I tore on them, so I cleaned out as much as I could of these too.

Your proposition is very drastic ! I would not go there, as I lose a lot of taper.
I would only take about the top out of it now (blue line) and see where it goes...

 

[PieterVE]

Nice tree.

Is there a reason you kept the rootball so uniform? Do you know what the main roots look like? Or you trust all is OK in there?

Once you get this healthy and growing, you will not need grafting I am pretty sure. A few good trims should get you loads of new branches to pop.


Is this about the point of reduction you envision?
View attachment 350040

I've been out checking on the tree, and it would be doable what you propose !
It would be a rather large scar, and the tree would measure about 72-74cm, which would give me a better ratio of 1:6 then the 1:8 I would have with the shorter cut.
When would be the best time to make this cut you think ? Now ?
And I have to shorten those bigger branches too...

 

[leatherback]

When

get it well rooted and strong. Else die-back is a risk.

Summer pruning and die-back

Over the weekend I spent a bit of time getting rid of a major junction on one of my new maples. I received the feedback on fakebook straight away that the trunk would die-back to the roots after the work I did. I was thinking: The whole tree is now actively pushing sugars, nutrients and water...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[treepirate]

Great tree..
I would deffo consider air layer just above that cut mark... 2 great trees

 

[PieterVE]

Great tree..
I would deffo consider air layer just above that cut mark... 2 great trees

Good point !

 

[treepirate]

I would wait until next spring to do the air layer with repotting this year.
I would branch select on each whirl this year tho before any more inverse taper is added in late summer/fall....
In other words prune the main tree as if the air layer had already been done and do the same with the top section as if it was already in a pot...
2022 spring- air layer on
2022fall - air layer off...
Does that make sense...
Just my opinion based on the top section being a cracking tree and the bottom not as cracking.
Good purchase!!

 

[treepirate]

 

[Gabler]

The base of the trunk is ramrod straight. The top half is gently curved. I'd recommend changing the planting angle and growing the tree on a slant to remove the abrupt transition from clean and geometric to messy and wild. If the base is slanted, it's also as irregular as the top.

 

[Darth Masiah]

airlayering around that red line looks like a great idea. you'll gain a nice small maple with subtle movement that you can start working on ramifying. later you can airlayer the middle section off for another tree. the lower trunk is so straight, it would probably look best as a zelkova like broom form. good luck moving forward.

 

[MrWunderful]

It looks like you could get even better nebari in the future if you trim the top layer of roots a bit more. Great tree though!

 

[PieterVE]

I would wait until next spring to do the air layer with repotting this year.
I would branch select on each whirl this year tho before any more inverse taper is added in late summer/fall....
In other words prune the main tree as if the air layer had already been done and do the same with the top section as if it was already in a pot...
2022 spring- air layer on
2022fall - air layer off...
Does that make sense...
Just my opinion based on the top section being a cracking tree and the bottom not as cracking.
Good purchase!!

This makes absolute sense ! Thanks for the input

 

[leatherback]

I tried to pry with the bamboo stick but couldn't get trough around that base, so left that hard part as it was, and I cut about to 1 cm around the base and left fine roots all around, hence that form, I feel it was cut like that before.

I think you confirm my point; I fear that if you do not clean that up/out, you will end up with a lump of roots which becomes impossible to work with and the tree just goes from trunk into fine roots, with no nebari to speak off. I know I am drastic, but I would try to open it up. And for me, it is nto about getting sticks in there; I tease roots apart and thin removnig roots from the top of main roots, reducing dense clusters in a way, treatng it like a dense canopy, allowing water to flow through the rootball. It now looks (!) like you have shaved the rootball back, and left the core completely intact. But I would love to have some other thoughts on this from say @MACH5 and @markyscott

If you go for the layer, consider keepng the bottom as a formal upright. It looks like you could have a very decent base for it, and goor formal uprights are rare, especially with deciduous.

 

[PieterVE]

I think you confirm my point; I fear that if you do not clean that up/out, you will end up with a lump of roots which becomes impossible to work with and the tree just goes from trunk into fine roots, with no nebari to speak off. I know I am drastic, but I would try to open it up. And for me, it is nto about getting sticks in there; I tease roots apart and thin removnig roots from the top of main roots, reducing dense clusters in a way, treatng it like a dense canopy, allowing water to flow through the rootball. It now looks (!) like you have shaved the rootball back, and left the core completely intact. But I would love to have some other thoughts on this from say @MACH5 and @markyscott

If you go for the layer, consider keepng the bottom as a formal upright. It looks like you could have a very decent base for it, and goor formal uprights are rare, especially with deciduous.

Don't you think it would be detrimental to the health of the tree if I take it out again to work on the roots so soon ?

I would ask help from someone who is more experienced then me for this.

And I would keep that bottom too, I love how it goes strong from the base up, makes me think of these strong large trees (oak & beech) we have around here !

 

[leatherback]

Don't you think it would be detrimental to the health of the tree if I take it out again to work on the roots so soon ?

To be honest.. I do not know for sure. It is mid-winter. I think most trees have put their roots to sleep. But.. I am not nice to my trees. And I accept risks involed in the way I operate. So I would leave making recommendations to someone else. Also, whether or not the roots could use more thinning. I prefer to have a more gradual thinning of the roots as you move away fromthe trunk, and have a few strung root connections visible.

 

[treepirate]

This makes absolute sense ! Thanks for the input

Can't wait to see this tree in 3 or 4 years... Good luck pieter

 

[PieterVE]

I asked a more expierenced member of our club for help, and together, last sunday, we took the tree out of the trey, and examined the rootball.

With gently tapping and brushing we were able to remove more and more old dirt from underneath and the sides, to reveal the nebari which was hiding, and the many smaller roots all around.

We also did found death roots, roots going across others, and some twisting in all directions which we all cut and cleaned underneath when necessary.

The compacted rootball is now completely free and water will run through so the chanses for rootrot are diminushed.

We repotted into a large trainingpot and secured it well.
I did put sphagnum on top.
It is in my cold greenhouse for protection against the wind and cold.

I'll leave it for at least a year to monitor it's health, which for me is now priority n°1, having a healthy tree.

 

[treepirate]

I asked a more expierenced member of our club for help, and together, last sunday, we took the tree out of the trey, and examined the rootball.

With gently tapping and brushing we were able to remove more and more old dirt from underneath and the sides, to reveal the nebari which was hiding, and the many smaller roots all around.

We also did found death roots, roots going across others, and some twisting in all directions which we all cut and cleaned underneath when necessary.

The compacted rootball is now completely free and water will run through so the chanses for rootrot are diminushed.

We repotted into a large trainingpot and secured it well.
I did put sphagnum on top.
It is in my cold greenhouse for protection against the wind and cold.

I'll leave it for at least a year to monitor it's health, which for me is now priority n°1, having a healthy tree.

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Good job Pieter
It will be full of roots and vigour in a year's time.