New to Bonsai, new tree

[AlainK]

welcome to the forum!

Ditto.

What derek7745 wrote is the best advice you can get.

Most of us I think would take option number 2, air-layer, but for a beginner, option number 3 is probably the best.

The tree doesn't seem root-bound, repotting it next spring woul be an option I think. Repotting is of of the basis of bonsai. There seems to be a lot of feeder roots above the red line, I would cut out all the roots below, even big ones, just before budbreak, and put it in a shallower pot/container with a "good" soil.

 

[sorce]

The obsession is real

You know know!

Sorce

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Not sure, I don't have very much experience with grafting. Is there a way to tell if its been grafted? She had about 7 red maples that were this price and I liked the look of this trunk the most.

I don't like maples, so you should go with what the rest says. All grafts considered, this is a good one but it looks like it's going to bulge. Still, great learning material!

 

[cbroad]

Maybe it's also low in price because it looks like it's been wedge-grafted

That's standard procedure here, I'd say 95% of the the palmatums I've seen come through my old nursery for the 13+ years I was there were grafted.

My nursery was bought out in 2010 by a nursery with 20+ stores, and they would prebook thousands of palmatums every year, and they mostly came from Oregon. That's part of the reason I suspected a B&C; they are a lot cheaper to produce which keeps the overhead down. We'd sell 8-10' B&B palmatums for $189, other stores around us would price the same tree for $500. The OP's tree would easily retail for $100 here on the east coast, if not more.

 

[Merlotlo]

Thank you all for your help! I will probably go with number three. Its my first tree, I saw the $20 price mark and said to myself 'I'll be bummed if I kill it but not like I would if it was $200'. I'll use her for practice and learning. I'll still love it even if she isn't perfect or a show piece. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

 

[coltranem]

LOL. Thank you! I did just buy a juniper off of Brussel's Bonsai because I had an amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket. The obsession is real

Look around for local bonsai shops. I am not saying Brussels is bad but it is very expensive for what you get.

 

[defra]

Nice find and good priced!
Yeah its grafted but to learn on its a good starter to devellop

be carefull with full sun they burn easily, at least here they do

If you want to get inspired or want to find specific jm info I reccomend browsing trough the maple tree forums lots of pics and info to be found there

Welcome to bnut, good luck and enjoy your new addiction

 

[Merlotlo]

Nice find and good priced!
Yeah its grafted but to learn on its a good starter to devellop

be carefull with full sun they burn easily, at least here they do

If you want to get inspired or want to find specific jm info I reccomend browsing trough the maple tree forums lots of pics and info to be found there

Welcome to bnut, good luck and enjoy your new addiction

I've been keeping her in morning sun and afternoon shade. Thank you for the advice. I'll take a look at the maple forum.

 

[Mame-Mo]

While you're cruising the garden centres it's useful to have a list of stock that has been proven to make 'good' bonsai with the right development. Here's a starter list of just some of the maples I'd select if I saw a good example on my travels :

Outstanding Spring Foliage

Deshojo
Shindeshojo
Beni-maiko
Orange Dream
Katsura

Grown for their bark

Going green - bright green bark
Sango Kaku - red stems, butter foliage
Arakawa / nishiki gawa - rough, plated bark
Bi-hoo (sometimes Bihou) - yellow bark

Dwarf cultivars - small internodes and / or slow growing - very suited to bonsai

Shishi gashira
Kiyohime
Kotohime
Kashima
Sharp's Pygmy

This is not an exhaustive list but indicative of good qualities for bonsai. The important thing is to be able to recognize a good graft (no bulges, good, smooth transition all the way up). Often you will see a V shape in grafted maples a few inches up (Edit: the poster above has covered this well so no need to waffle on).

Good luck getting into the hobby

The gif your using as your avatar is literally what inspired my interest in bonsai at 12. God I love that show.