My large maple

[Gabler]

Belgium is supposed to be a beautiful country, and the simple but classic architecture on the brick buildings in the background certainly live up to expectations. Here in the U.S., the average lifespan of a building is something like fifty years, so most homes and businesses are in newly constructed (pronounced "ugly") buildings. On the bright side, we Europeans haven't been here long enough to denude all of the old growth forests, especially in the mountains and along the West Coast. In my admittedly limited travels in Europe, I've noticed that there is much less heavily-forested land than in the U.S.

Anyway, I hope it's not a problem that I veered off topic a little, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share a few thoughts I had about one of the pictures you shared, since it seems you're already getting the advice you wanted regarding your tree.

 

[leatherback]

Yes! that's what I am talking about. Happy to see this.
The tree thanks you with a gentle start in spring, and a true explosion of happiness as weather gets warmer, I am sure of it!

 

[PieterVE]

Belgium is supposed to be a beautiful country, and the simple but classic architecture on the brick buildings in the background certainly live up to expectations. Here in the U.S., the average lifespan of a building is something like fifty years, so most homes and businesses are in newly constructed (pronounced "ugly") buildings. On the bright side, we Europeans haven't been here long enough to denude all of the old growth forests, especially in the mountains and along the West Coast. In my admittedly limited travels in Europe, I've noticed that there is much less heavily-forested land than in the U.S.

Anyway, I hope it's not a problem that I veered off topic a little, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share a few thoughts I had about one of the pictures you shared, since it seems you're already getting the advice you wanted regarding your tree.

No problem at all @Gabler !

Our house is an old farmhouse, which is already marked in the Ferraris map (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferraris_map) created between 1770 and 1778, so to say it is old is an understatement
We've restored it (13 years ago) to our liking, and created a large garden from the pastures that surrounded the house and stables. It still needs some TLC from time to time, but we enjoy it very much. We do have a good view upon the landscape around us, and it is pretty quiet here between the other farms.

And the last year with covid I have more time for my hobby, bonsai's, so I will document my projects here more frequently
So look out for more pictures of the house and/or garden !

Cheers !

 

[leatherback]

Our house is an old farmhouse, which is already marked in the Ferraris map (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferraris_map) created between 1770 and 1778, so to say it is old is an understatement

Nice. We have been looking for an old farmhouse. Unfortunately we were only able to obtain a newer one (first registry: 1931), and poorly built too so that we now already have to consider doing some work on the structure.

 

[PieterVE]

Nice. We have been looking for an old farmhouse. Unfortunately we were only able to obtain a newer one (first registry: 1931), and poorly built too so that we now already have to consider doing some work on the structure.

It is always a gamble with older buildings isn't it ! Once you start working on walls and other structures you never know what will be hiding underneath...
We were fortunate that the structure was really good for such an old house. We have thick outside walls, and we opened up inside where we had small room upon small room upon small room. Now we have a large living space, kitchen and sitting room without doors in between, the cats love to run around

 

[PieterVE]

Did some pinching and cleaning out of the good growth the maple had, to let air and sun inside again.
Before and after picture

 

[just.wing.it]

I can't not see the bar branches.
Nice tree though!

 

[PieterVE]

I can't not see the bar branches.
Nice tree though!

Tx ! But, I don't understand what you mean by "can't not see the bar branches" ?

 

[just.wing.it]

Tx ! But, I don't understand what you mean by "can't not see the bar branches" ?

The first 2 branches (the lowest 2) are coming from the same node.
We avoid this mostly because it can cause unsightly swelling where there is a junction of 3 (the main trunk + the 2 bar branches).
Though your tree doesn't seem to be swelling badly, the bar branches still stick out like a sore thumb to my eye.

 

[Gabler]

The first 2 branches (the lowest 2) are coming from the same node.
We avoid this mostly because it can cause unsightly swelling where there is a junction of 3 (the main trunk + the 2 bar branches).
Though your tree doesn't seem to be swelling badly, the bar branches still stick out like a sore thumb to my eye.

Though I don’t know that I agree that the bar branches are inherently unsightly, removing one or the other could introduce movement to the foliage.

 

[just.wing.it]

Though I don’t know that I agree that the bar branches are inherently unsightly, removing one or the other could introduce movement to the foliage.

Many trees in nature have bar branches that are perfectly fine. The existence of the bar branches is not necessarily unsightly, but as I said, the inverse (reverse) taper that the swelling causes is unsightly.
Its for that potential that they stick out to me....a potential problem in the future.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I know I'm usually out-of-step with the purists, but again here I would style this tree with twigging that hides it's worst features and carry-on. The transition from rootstock to scion already has a cluster that obscures it which is probably not just a coincidence, so I suspect that when the whole canopy of leaves is there, I suspect it will look a lot better. I don't think anyone is young enough to redo everything that is imperfect on this tree because of the size of this tree and long, long time it would take to re-make the whole tree over. In too many instances, I see people for whom good is the enemy of perfect, and good is never good enough to enjoy for what it is.

We don't see perfect trees in nature because life has a way of interfering with the progression from youth to aged with bugs and storms and disease and drought and a neighbor falling over, ad infinitum. We marvel at what is in nature, and only in bonsai do we look at pretty nice and say, "Cut it all off and start over again." Boo Hiss

 

[Jiminsauga]

Glad to see the tree is responding well to the root work. It's a lovely tree that probably would of eventually died in the ground if you had not purchased it.

 

[PieterVE]

Glad to see the tree is responding well to the root work. It's a lovely tree that probably would of eventually died in the ground if you had not purchased it.

Absolutely !

 

[PieterVE]

Many trees in nature have bar branches that are perfectly fine. The existence of the bar branches is not necessarily unsightly, but as I said, the inverse (reverse) taper that the swelling causes is unsightly.
Its for that potential that they stick out to me....a potential problem in the future.

Ok, now I understand it better what you meant, tx !

 

[PieterVE]

I know I'm usually out-of-step with the purists, but again here I would style this tree with twigging that hides it's worst features and carry-on. The transition from rootstock to scion already has a cluster that obscures it which is probably not just a coincidence, so I suspect that when the whole canopy of leaves is there, I suspect it will look a lot better. I don't think anyone is young enough to redo everything that is imperfect on this tree because of the size of this tree and long, long time it would take to re-make the whole tree over. In too many instances, I see people for whom good is the enemy of perfect, and good is never good enough to enjoy for what it is.

We don't see perfect trees in nature because life has a way of interfering with the progression from youth to aged with bugs and storms and disease and drought and a neighbor falling over, ad infinitum. We marvel at what is in nature, and only in bonsai do we look at pretty nice and say, "Cut it all off and start over again." Boo Hiss

Absolutely true, thank you !

I already need to do approach grafts because some existing branches died 'cause lack of proper care in the past, so first is getting the tree to good health and only then thinking of creating new/better branches...

 

[PieterVE]

So this summer I noticed some bark coming loose on the front, probably as a result of the drying out it suffered from earlier on, hence some dried out branches.
I started to peel back the bark until I reached live green, and put some cutpaste all around.
Today it has responded well with almost completely around healing of the cambium.
But it has left me with a very large part without bark, I don't now yet what I will do with it...
Noticed higher up some other dried bark which has to be cut out again.

Overall it responded well with growth, so next season I'll give a try at grafting new branches all around.

 

[just.wing.it]

I would use a wood hardener on it, to preserve it as long as possible.

 

[PieterVE]

In january I had my mate over from the local club and we wired the tree and prepared 2 grafts by driling 2 branches and put 2 long shoots through.

Wired to keep the shoots in place and closed the little holes with cut paste.

 

[PieterVE]

Come spring and the tree grows vigorously !

So we do some leaf pruning and trimming

We let the 2 shoots growing to thicken and hopefully fusing with the larger branches.