Red Maple Bonsai?

I

Isilwen

Mame
Messages
222
Reaction score
117
Location
Central Florida
USDA Zone
9b
I live in Central Florida, zone 9b and I would like to try my hand at bonsai trees, specifically a red maple (acer rubrum).

Would it be best to buy a sapling or seeds and start from the beginning with growing them? I live in an apartment, so planting it is out of the realm of possibility.
 
Get a Chinese elm or a ficus.

Acer rubrum is Heisman level difficulty (to borrow an ancient video game analogy) even under ideal circumstances, so not a good place to start off.
 
Mikecheck123 said:
Get a Chinese elm or a ficus.

Acer rubrum is Heisman level difficulty (to borrow an ancient video game analogy) even under ideal circumstances, so not a good place to start off.
Click to expand...

Can you explain to me how a native tree to my state would be Heisman level difficult?

The elm might be a possibility, but I don't care for tropicals.
 
Isilwen said:
Can you explain to me how a native tree to my state would be Heisman level difficult?

The elm might be a possibility, but I don't care for tropicals.
Click to expand...
Some species are better for bonsai than others. Acer rubrum is one of the worst.

On top of that, they don't live inside.
 
Mikecheck123 said:
Some species are better for bonsai than others. Acer rubrum is one of the worst.

On top of that, they don't live inside.
Click to expand...

Wasn't going to keep it inside. I have a south-facing balcony that gets full sun for about 6-8 hours a day. My mistake for not mentioning that.
 
Mikecheck123 said:
Some species are better for bonsai than others. Acer rubrum is one of the worst.

On top of that, they don't live inside.
Click to expand...
Still would like to get a maple, but if I was going to consider an elm, would seed be okay? All I remember seeing of Chinese elm is that they are s-shaped and not a straight trunk shape.
 
Isilwen said:
Still would like to get a maple, but if I was going to consider an elm, would seed be okay? All I remember seeing of Chinese elm is that they are s-shaped and not a straight trunk shape.
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Email Wigerts Bonsai in Ft. Myers and ask them if they have any Chinese elms that aren't S shaped. I'm sure they can help you.

Seeds is generally a bad way to start out. I recommend starting with an actual tree.
 
Don't mean to butt in but you can certainly try a Rubrum if that's what you like. Just that their growing characteristics does not lend well to bonsai esthetics. Such as large leaves... Maples are understory trees so they don't need direct sun all day.

For me, growing from seeds are actually fun and rewarding; but best if you have a couple trees you can already work with.
 
Microscopic said:
Don't mean to butt in but you can certainly try a Rubrum if that's what you like. Just that their growing characteristics does not lend well to bonsai esthetics. Such as large leaves... Maples are understory trees so they don't need direct sun all day.

For me, growing from seeds are actually fun and rewarding; but best if you have a couple trees you can already work with.
Click to expand...
I should clarify that I have nothing against growing seeds UNLESS it's the only thing you're doing.
 
Microscopic said:
Don't mean to butt in but you can certainly try a Rubrum if that's what you like. Just that their growing characteristics does not lend well to bonsai esthetics. Such as large leaves... Maples are understory trees so they don't need direct sun all day.

For me, growing from seeds are actually fun and rewarding; but best if you have a couple trees you can already work with.
Click to expand...

How about a trident maple (Acer buergeianum)? I just really like maples.
 
Isilwen said:
How about a trident maple (Acer buergeianum)? I just really like maples.
Click to expand...
Trident maple is a common species used for bonsai. New World Bonsai on etsy is out of florida and they have good starter tridents. There's a lot of threads on Trident care on here. they have small foliage and grow really nice nebari.
 
Jluke33 said:
Trident maple is a common species used for bonsai. New World Bonsai on etsy is out of florida and they have good starter tridents. There's a lot of threads on Trident care on here. they have small foliage and grow really nice nebari.
Click to expand...

Just ordered a trident from New World. Do you have any particular threads in mind that I should look at?
 
Isilwen said:
Just ordered a trident from New World. Do you have any particular threads in mind that I should look at?
Click to expand...
nice! I just use the search function in the top right whenever I have a specific question. the maples sub-group is a good place where a lot of advice gets posted. A lot of things I've seen for starting out with tridents say to get them into the ground or a larger pot and plant them on top of a tile. The trees roots will fuse over time and give you a nice wide nebari.

Trident seedlings planted through tiles, progression thread

I have a thread on this in the general discussion forum but have been meaning to get it in the right spot. So here we go. I have taken several seedlings over the past couple of years and planted them through either wood planks or sheet metal and then placed them in the ground to grow and...
www.bonsainut.com www.bonsainut.com

Note: I am just a year into my own bonsai journey so I don't have much experience as to the specifics of ANYthing. and I really shouldn't be answering questions lol. but this thread is prob a good place to start^^
 
Tridents are great and a stellar choice but there have been several people who have done very nicely with Red maples. I have the beginning of a forest now that were the result of seeds falling into a nursery pot and sprouting a couple years ago.
I am sure there are are some to look at here in the archives.
 
Jluke33 said:
A lot of things I've seen for starting out with tridents say to get them into the ground or a larger pot and plant them on top of a tile. The trees roots will fuse over time and give you a nice wide nebari.
Click to expand...

And this method works well for one being in a pot?
 
Please collect native seed or trees! There's supposedly a subgenus of rubrums in your state that make better bonsai than the common and northern "ecotype". They are probably growing everywhere, the most common tree in the Eastern USA. Also here is a second article that should get you pretty amped up about the species.

A member on this forum named ABCarve, has a really nice rubrum. you should check it out. They have obvious drawbacks but there are good examples around. If nothing else it will be good practice and a lesson learned to try this species
 
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