New Field Maple

thomas22

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Here are 5 pictures turning the tree a bit each picture. I removed some of the top soil to get a better look at the nebari to help choose a front. I think only the first picture has serious nebari issues. You can see a large hump off to one side. If anyone has any ideas for front and chop height I would like to hear it. Thanks2016-06-17 04.02.07.jpg 2016-06-17 04.02.28.jpg 2016-06-17 04.02.47.jpg 2016-06-17 04.03.05.jpg 2016-06-17 04.04.43.jpg
 

drew33998

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I would chop it right above the dead branch stub show in the last photo. It should sprout multiple shoots from that area. Just as the buds start to swell next pre-spring. My .02 cents
 

VAFisher

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Personally, I would leave it tall and chop it right below the fork. It doesn't look too straight to me. The 2nd pic in post #1 shows a nice curve to the left. To me, it would be a shame to waste all of that trunk.
 

thomas22

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I appreciate everyone's comments. So we have a couple of low chop votes and a couple of high chop votes. I figured to get mostly low chop votes and was surprised by the high chop ones. I googled sweetgum Bonsai and found most were taller upright trees and not low and fat sumo styled. Not sure if this was due to their growth habits or just a coincidence. This one has a trunk very similar to mine. If I went for a design like this I could be wiring branches next year and not waiting many years of growing out the next section of trunk with no guarantee of it ever being a convincing bonsai.

Sweetgum99.jpg
 

thomas22

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How about a twin? You have a nice start on a secondary trunk...

A twin trunk is definitely an option. I was going to leave it on for a while anyway for a sacrifice branch but was leaning towards a single trunk. It is actually located in a good spot. BTW I can't believe how flexible these branches are. I could bend that secondary branches in circles if I wanted to.
 

JudyB

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A twin trunk is definitely an option. I was going to leave it on for a while anyway for a sacrifice branch but was leaning towards a single trunk. It is actually located in a good spot. BTW I can't believe how flexible these branches are. I could bend that secondary branches in circles if I wanted to.
Well go ahead and put some complementary bends on the secondary trunk to the main trunk. Look at some images of good twins to see what I mean if you haven't seen many. This is really important to have a successful twin trunk tree. I love multiple trunk trees, they are visually interesting when done well. And will give you something different than the norm.
 

thomas22

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Update: I put this Sweetgum in a custom made grow box today. I built the box yesterday. This tree is confused on the seasons but other than that it seems healthy. I know your supposed to repot just before bud break but this tree has some of last year's leaves, this year's leaves, and buds ready to pop so I figured what the heck. I was very happy with the amount of roots and there were no major problems.
I think I'm going to keep it tall and maybe go with a twin trunk but I'm not 100% sure yet. Long way to go on this one.
2017-01-16 16.10.46.jpg 2017-01-16 16.22.41.jpg 2017-01-16 16.48.30.jpg 2017-01-16 14.38.13.jpg
 

plant_dr

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That's a pretty impressive grow box! Keeping it tall is a pretty good idea in case you change your mind on which direction you want to go later. Plus it will help build trunk girth in the mean time .
 

thomas22

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That's a pretty impressive grow box! Keeping it tall is a pretty good idea in case you change your mind on which direction you want to go later. Plus it will help build trunk girth in the mean time .
Thanks Doc. After reviewing past post I see you liked the high chop. Here is a better pic of the whole tree where you can see the height better.

2017-01-16 16.48.25.jpg
 

thomas22

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Good repot! Is it wired in nice and tight? Nice tree.
I did wire the tree in but it was hard to get tight because there were no big roots to clamp down on but I'm sure there is a better method than I am using. After a few month I figured I could tighten the wire. You can actually see the wire in the pic where the root ball is in the pot. Thank for keeping me honest I know I have a lot to learn.
 

D805

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Update: I put this Sweetgum in a custom made grow box today. I built the box yesterday. This tree is confused on the seasons but other than that it seems healthy. I know your supposed to repot just before bud break but this tree has some of last year's leaves, this year's leaves, and buds ready to pop so I figured what the heck. I was very happy with the amount of roots and there were no major problems.
I think I'm going to keep it tall and maybe go with a twin trunk but I'm not 100% sure yet. Long way to go on this one.
View attachment 129253 View attachment 129254 View attachment 129255 View attachment 129256
Very nice grow box you made. How deep is it?
 
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