New Maple forest question

[BonsainClogs]

Hi guys,

I was planning to make a maple forest so I ordered 5 pre-bonsai (don't know if this is the correct translation but in German it is Jungpflanze, literally young plants) maples and some others thing which arrived today.

I did some cutting on the roots, there was a lot of fine root mass in a cube shape due to the pots they were grown in, and planted all five plants. But I forgot the wire so they're not quite stable yet (a strong gust of wind would probably knock 1 or 2 of them over).

Would it be allright if I leave them like this until tomorrow and do a replant (to secure them) then? Other remarks or tips are also very welcome

As you can see there are 3 regular Acer Palmatum and 2 Atropurpureum.

 

[armetisius]

This soon after planting I don't see why not. A few weeks from now, when they do get blown over, they will suffer more from the abuse.

 

[drew33998]

Yes pre-bonsai is the correct term, or seedling. I like the placement of the trees in the group. I do feel that maybe the two on the left or right could have been placed a little closer together than the opposite side.

 

[BonsaiBeginnings]

I am germinating about 10 maples right now and am hoping to make a forest myself. I plan on growing them in bigger pots first, and once they reach a reasonable size I will place them together. Depending on how big you want this to eventually reach, I recommend doing the same. The pot size you are now using may limit the trunk size of the trees unless you want to wait longer.

If you are okay waiting or have what you want now, then you should definitely wire them in as soon as possible because they don't have much to hang on to. And if you don't see the improvement in trunk size by next spring you can always put them in bigger pots.

 

[Neli]

Yes pre-bonsai is the correct term, or seedling. I like the placement of the trees in the group. I do feel that maybe the two on the left or right could have been placed a little closer together than the opposite side.

I would out the two right one close together as you suggested and away from the group of 3.

 

[BonsainClogs]

Thanks for the suggestions, I've replanted them this afternoon. I've made some in-progress-shots but I forgot a photo of the end-result.

I've made two separate groups, one of three and one of two trees. Wiring is much harder than it looks but I think I did ok. I left a bit of room around the trunks so the wire won't damage the trees if it grows this summer.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Here's my opinion. Perhaps it's just me, but I wouldn't normally compose a Japanese maple forest using red leaf and green leaf cultivars together for bonsai. I cannot explain why in a brief simple way and go into detail, but they just don't seem to go together.

To put out an imaginary or fantasy theme, red leaf maples with similar characteristics could go together as a forest.

I would use a red leaf as single, twin, triple or even clump trunk, but not include them mixed in a forest with green leaf maples. An exception for a maple lover as myself would be if I wanted to show the unique cultivars I have in bonsai style.

 

[BonsainClogs]

So, it's been a year. One of the five has sadly demised, when I went away on vacation someone forgot to water the bonsai and one of the five did not survive.

See pictures 1-3 for how they look today. I'm unsure about how to prune/cut them as the course of action seems to vary by the source.

Some sources say that letting them grow to develop a thicker trunk is the way to go. Others indicate that pruning the top is necessary so that the lower branches/leaves get more light.
I can see the advantages to both approaches but I need to decide on one. Can anyone help me in making that decision?

I spotted some bugs today (pics 4-5), they were sometimes accompanied by ants.

Is this scale (clickable) or something else? Haven't seen any damage to the trees (yet).

 

[0soyoung]

Those little bugs are aphids - gently squish them or blow them off with a jet of water.

Aphids are cows. Ants are dairy farmers. Basically whenever you see ants scaling your plant stems, there are aphids at the tip.

 

[sorce]

In a forest as such, you want to keep the sizes different.

I would cut a couple hard, one easy, and let one go.

Nice

Sorce

 

[rockm]

you have soil issues. The color and growth on these is weak and leggy. Aphids can be a symptom of weak trees. The soil looks like its pretty dense and stays wet. The reddish color on the trunk on some JMs indicates they're stressed.

What type of soil are you using?

Thanks for the suggestions, I've replanted them this afternoon. I've made some in-progress-shots but I forgot a photo of the end-result.

I've made two separate groups, one of three and one of two trees. Wiring is much harder than it looks but I think I did ok. I left a bit of room around the trunks so the wire won't damage the trees if it grows this summer.