My new Japanese Maple

[Redwood Ryan]

Hey all, purchased this tree online for a low price and wanted to know what everyone thought of it. I think it is a beautiful tree. It has a nice compact rootball. I placed it into this big 'ol pot to let the trunk grow out more. I didn't have enough soil, so I had to use some that was sitting around, most likely used from other trees. Think it should be sterilized by baking it in the oven? Here it is:

Carved out section:

Ryan

P.S. I should add that the soil that I had to use from other trees should be okay. The trees had no diseases and no issues that I know of.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I love using recycled soil from healthy trees for use in nursery cans. The earthy smell and richness is often better than "new" soil; particularly if you have organic components or use organic fertilizers. I do not bake it; for many reasons...domestic included!

I always screen it first to remove the fines.

It's hard to determine scale from the photos, but it looks like the tree is definitely overpotted. If so, watch watering carefully so the roots don't drown. Also, hard to tell, but if you buried it deep, you'll end up with new roots growing above the current nebari which will create a mess to deal with later...reverse taper, pruning scars, etc...

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Thanks Brian. I figured the tree is too overpotted. Tomorrow I will take it out of that pot and plant it into a one gallon sized pot.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Today when I repot the tree, I will take it out of the soil, microwave the soil for a little bit to kill the germs just in case, and all the while have the tree sitting in a bowl of water. Sound good?

 

[Smoke]

hmmmm......

 

[Redwood Ryan]

No I did not microwave the soil. Okay, maybe just a small amount. Then I figured it was a pointless cause and stopped

I repotted the tree into a new pot and here it is. I did not cover up the nebari, don't worry. But here it is:

Ryan

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Good job...now place it just in reach of the hose, but out of reach of the scissors for the rest of the year...

Think I hear the wife hollering something about dirt in the microwave over there...????

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Oh boy. You don't even know how badly I want to work on it. I do know that I want to remove that tall trunk from the tree and just leave the shorter carved trunk as the main one.

And oh yess. I cleaned out the microwave thoroughly before anyone could notice. Phew.

 

[greerhw]

Ryan, I ususlly stay away form these threads, because I end up hurting someones feelings, but for whats it's worth. I hope you are young man, because what you have isn't going to be a bonsai for a long time, it's kind of like pushing a chain up hill. Sorry to be blunt, just want you know it truth.

keep it green,
Harry

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Whaddya know. I am a young man. 17, actually. And I know it will be quite a while, but I have plenty of time. By the time I am most of the members on this forums age, hopefully I will be quite the professional. I'll just have to work on my other trees in the extra time.

 

[greerhw]

Good for you !!!!

Hang in there!

keep it green,
Harry

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Thanks! I've already been doing it for 2 years, so I'm not a complete novice

 

[mcpesq817]

Oh boy. You don't even know how badly I want to work on it. I do know that I want to remove that tall trunk from the tree and just leave the shorter carved trunk as the main one.

Are you planning to grow the trunk and base out? If so, I'd probably leave the tall trunk until you are close to having the base you want.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Oh yes. I should've mentioned that. I will leave it until the trunk is much thicker, but I don't want to leave it for so long that it causes bulging at that area. So once the trunk is much thicker, then I will remove it.

 

[rockm]

Ryan,

If you're serious about this maple, get it out of the pot and into the ground. If you allow it five year's growth in the ground, you will be 10-15 years ahead of its development in a container.

Five years unfettered growth will probably produce a 4-5 inch diameter trunk and some pretty nice surface rootage, if you cut back to lateral roots before putting it in the ground.

It's understandable to want it in a pot, but that's the long way round and it won't produce as nice of a trunk...

 

[october]

Ryan, you had mentioned about repotting this tree today....If it has leafed out,, it is too late to repot... Unless you are going to take the advice given about just putting it in the ground, which is good advice.

Rob

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Well I had to repot it. It was shipped to me bare rooted. As much as I would like to plant it into the ground, I just do not have the room. I will try my best to grow the trunk out in pots. Time is on my side, after all


Thanks everyone.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Boy, I hate updating old posts. It gives me a chance to see all of the dumb questions I've asked. Oh well, here is the tree as of today:

I used to have this tree in a fair amount of sun, but I recently moved it into a much shadier place. This tree has also never been fertilized in my care. The guy even gave me a pack of fertilizer. But, I have never fertilized any of my trees (I know, I know ). Maybe one day I will learn the importance of the stuff.

And just for fun, here is another of my JM's, but this one has, uh, grown a bit of a tall leader. It was in the same spot as the other one too!

Ryan

 

[mcpesq817]

Hey Ryan,

If you want to pump the growth up, definitely think about putting it in the ground. I started out with some small maples just like you a couple of years ago, and ended up putting them in the ground. The growth you get is exponentially greater than you will in a nursery container.

If you can't put it in the ground, at least give it fertilizer

 

[Redwood Ryan]

The only place I could plant it into the ground would be in full sun, and I am unsure of how well it drains in that area. And I will start with the fertilizer