Potential Purchase - Trident Maple

JudyB

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I like the tree at the base very much. I agree that the middle section just above the initial set of branches has some faults, along with the top. I imagine it will look fine when in leaf, but that may not be enough for you at that price point. I don't think it's entirely out of line but seems like a price I'd see here in the states, seems like prices over there are normally lower than what we would expect to see. With all the options of places you can source trees from there, I would think that you might be able to do better. But it's a nice tree, I would be proud to have it on my bench and it would be fun to find a way to develop it around the flaws. Perhaps there is another side that minimizes the issues as stated.
 

Hawke84

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I agree with the comments here, i think its not a bad tree and it would look great on my bench, I have about 30 trees in varying stages of 'not bad' so for what im looking for and for the price i dont think this is right for me. I know there is never a finish or end in bonsai but i am looking for something that is basically refined so i can maintain it and focus on the rest of my development work.
I'll keep hunting, im in no rush!

a lot of bonsai places will be getting shipments soon from Japan all being well so will see what appears...
 

leatherback

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i was looking for something more along the lines of this with clear layers and a gentle triangular taper to the trunk (smaller than this though)
trunks like there were for sale at the Trophy this weekend at about 400E. (But only during the first 2 hours of the show. After that they were sold out :) )
 

BobbyLane

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yeah i saw the Kaizen one and immediately dismissed it, the base just looked a mess! The trident from ebay i dont think is really what im looking for, i was looking for something more along the lines of this with clear layers and a gentle triangular taper to the trunk (smaller than this though)

View attachment 286228

did you see this one?
bit pricey though, but its very densely ramified, so youre not just paying for a trunk like some of the cheaper tridents around

this kiyohime is quite nice,
 

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Hawke84

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did you see this one?
bit pricey though, but its very densely ramified, so youre not just paying for a trunk like some of the cheaper tridents around

this kiyohime is quite nice,
Thanks @BobbyLane the trident looks a bit heavy for what im looking for, the kiyohime is pretty nice, i keep going back to it to look at it but not the best taper.
im debaiting getting something less finished and adding it to the trees im progressing to satisfy my trident lust for now until the right tree come along, maybe at Bonsai Expo in April.

these are £200 ish each
tridents.PNG

or this is £400 but hair a fairly obvious chop on the back but does taper up quite nicely
s-l1600.jpg
 

BobbyLane

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the kiyome isnt built to have taper, its in the broom style.
those cheap tridents arent too bad for the price, they can be worked on. the one for 400, is overpriced though.
the last one you posted is a very good tree. its not my cup of tea, but great none the less.
 
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Hawke84

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the kiyome isnt built to have taper, its in the broom style.
those cheap tridents arent too bad for the price, they can be worked on. the one for 400, is overpriced though.
the last one you posted is a very good tree. its not my cup of tea, but great none the less.
yeah i might just get one of the cheaper ones to work on. seems really hard to find trident material.
last one is the kind of thing im looking for and the right size. I've emailed them see if they will deal but its a proper bonsai outlet so i doubt it, but worth a try...
 

electronfusion

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I think the expensive one you showed at the start is really beautiful, if you have that much to spend. There are a few spots where big branches are clustered together and some could be removed, but they haven't caused reverse taper yet. If I could afford it, and really wanted a maple to be the star of my collection, I'd buy it. This past year I bought an azalea for $1300, more than the value of my car, and I'm making credit card payments on it over the course of about 18 months. For comparison, each of my other 20ish trees cost me >$50. But I don't regret it at all. I'm quite looking forward to the blooms in a couple months.
 

Hawke84

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Found a lovely smaller trident imported from Japan. Arrived today. happy with it :)
going to see how it behaves in leaf this season
20200330_134625.jpg
 

vp999

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Beautiful tree... I am so jealous ... u mind sharing what website I bought it from ? I’ve been looking for some website to order nice trees online. Thanks
 

Hawke84

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Beautiful tree... I am so jealous ... u mind sharing what website I bought it from ? I’ve been looking for some website to order nice trees online. Thanks
its a facebook group based in the uk. they come from https://wattstonbonsai.com/ but the guy doesnt update the website that often. He has someone who sells for him on facebook, search for Robs Bonsai Bargains as a group.
im not sure if he ships to the US but its worth an ask as he has other smaller tridents on there at the moment. generally their trees are really top notch
 

AlainK

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Er...

I would prune it hard, first like that :

20200330_134625.jpg

... and I would then also prune the right side.
 

Hawke84

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Er...

I would prune it hard, first like that :

View attachment 292491

... and I would then also prune the right side.
Yeah that branch is a bit too heavy for my liking. I'm not going to do any heavy pruning as it's not the best time to do it and I don't like to mess with a new tree immediately, tend to wait a season see what it does year round.
But agree with your initial impression. It was 1/5 the price of the other trees I was looking at!

Also want to try and avoid a massive scar on the front, not worked that out yet...
 
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