Red Maple Collected Spring 2007

[Martin Sweeney]

Paul,

When I mentioned branch development I was refering to thickening, especially of the new leader. I am happy to see lots of buds, but would have liked more growth and thickening (and healing) this year than the tree produced. I am confident that the tree will push new growth vigorously come spring as I plan no root work until spring 2010 on this tree.

Thanks for your continued interest in and support for my efforts with this tree!

Regards,
Martin

 

[JasonG]

Hi Martin,

Good progress. Thanks for th update and I think you will have a wonderful tree on your hands in a few years!

Jason

 

[pjkatich]

Martin,

The reason I asked was that it appeared from the picture you posted that you had been working on ramification. Building bulk into the new leader and branches requires a different approach than what I explained for developing ramification.

The only way I have found to thicken up the branches and leader on a Red Maple is to allow the terminal buds to extend unrestricted until you gain the required thickness. This means rank growth and longer internodes. During this phase of development, I usually keep my red maples in larger grow boxes to encourage this type of growth.

Once you have achieved the thickness you want you will need to cut back hard and start again. Basically, clip and grow procedures. This will build the bulk and the taper you are looking for. In addition, this rank growth will promote the formation of new callus tissue on cuts located below the new growth. The use of sacrifice branches helps out during this phase of development.

However, because of their size, I doubt that those major cuts will ever heal over completely. Remember, keep the cut areas sealed up good or they will rot out on you.

I have attached a photo of one of my red maples were the trunk was developed this way. This photo was taken back in October after I removed a large sacrifice branch. If you look at the curve on the trunk just above the first branch you can see the spot where the sacrifice branch was grown to help thicken the lower trunk.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Paul

 

[Martin Sweeney]

All,

Here is the maple wired and ready for winter. If it doesn't have wire on it, it will probably get cut off in the future.

Regards,
Martin

 

[HotAction]

update?

has spring arrived for this one yet? gotta love the color of those buds when they open.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

HotAction,

Yes, spring has sprung. I will try to post a picture 4/15. I already have some oversized leaves to deal with! The buds and foliage opened with a kind of bronze hue. That was about 4 weeks ago though.

Thanks for the interest.

Regards,
Martin

 

[Martin Sweeney]

HotAction,

Here is a picture from today, taken without enough light. I will try posting another on Saturday if anyone wants to see one.

As I mentioned, there are many oversized leaves this year. I assume it has to do with no repotting this spring. I remember the leaves being smaller last year after the repotting.

Regards,
Martin

 

[Smoke]

Does this respond well to defoliation or is it like palmatum and all fussy and stuff. Could try a defoliation around May 15 for smaller leaves if it is a vigorous budder. Looks super healthy.

Fat trunk and nice shape, keeper in my book.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Smoke,

Red maple is, in my opinion, much more vigorous than Acer palmatum. I have done sort of "rolling defoliations" where I remove 4 or 5 of the biggest leaves every couple of weeks to allow light into the inside of the tree. I have no doubt that a healthy, well fed red maple would take the stress of defoliation without missing a stride. I have done that once already this year.

I am not too concerned about leaf size this year. I mentioned leaf size as I am slightly embarrassed to be showing pictures of this tree with the leaves as they are. I have plans to allow the tree to add lots of controlled growth this year to improve branch size and begin healing wounds. I do not want to allow too uncontrolled growth. As long as the tree stays healthy, I prefer slowing the growth more than others would as that fits my ability to train better than more advanced growers might prefer. I am prepared to take my time with this tree. As you noted, this tree has some potential and I am trying to coax it out.

Others are welcome to disagree with what I am trying to do. I have learned many good tips from the other posters in this thread. I may have incorporated some of those tips in a way the poster did not intend, but I think that they are working for me and for that I thank everyone who has posted for taking the time to do so.

Regards,
Martin

 

[HotAction]

Martin, thanks for the look and it does look super healthy. I may be jumping the gun here but this one could turn some heads to Acer rubrum in the future. I do think, however, that it does need to be bigger. Grow out a new leader, and grow a BIG canopy. About 20-24" tall total, based on the dimensions of that trunk, maybe a bit taller for a silkier smooth image. You mentioned the refinement techniques that you "misutilized" but were happy with the results. I actually have a theory that deals just with this. From what I read (I am a newb and have not done so yet) rank growth is desired to bring branches/trunks etc. into proportion. I think one year of refinement pinching before allowing rank growth would prove very beneficial. Many axillary buds could be set within a short distance due to the short internodes from pinching, then when after 2 years of rank growth, could be cut back and all those dormant buds could speed you toward final refinement w/ ramification close to the trunk. Only the thoughts of a "newb" on an "inferior species."

And, as you figure out leaf reduction over this 5 year plan, the tree can always be reduced.

hope i made sense

-Dave

 

[HotAction]

I realized, I have no idea how big or small this tree is? I assumed it was about 12-16 inches soil to apex.

-Dave

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Dave,

I appreciate your encouragement. From what I have seen, pjkatich, who has posted some mighty fine red maple pictures in this very thread will be the one who turns heads to red maple as bonsai material. Randy Clark from the Bonsai Learning Center has a very nice shohin read maple as well. I am sure there are others out there. I hope to see more. It is not as good material as Trident or Japanese Maple, but what it lacks compared to those other species, it makes up for in availability and sheer will to live.

I agree that pinching has given me more buds to work with this year, which appears to be a good thing at this point. It remains to be seen if I can utilize them properly.

I realized that I did not know the specifics of this tree either, so I measured it. The trunk is approximately 13" tall. The widest spread of the roots at the current soil level is a little over 8". The pot is 17" from outside of rim to outside of rim.

Regards,
Martin

 

[R_F]

I may be jumping the gun here but this one could turn some heads to Acer rubrum in the future.

-Dave

Dave, you are absolutely right. I was doing some research on this species (I've dabbled with it but with no success) and the trees posted by Paul and Martin have proved to me that this is a tree worth learning. Especially for my region where it is native. I have heard rumors of a dwarf cultivar of this species out there, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Great job on these trees Paul and Martin and thanks for posting.

 

[rockm]

"Drummondii"

Florida Swamp maple (Acer rubrum, "drummondii") is the "dwarf" cultivar. It's been used extensively and works alot better than the main species is a container.

Here's Vaugh Banting's Drummondii planting at the National Arboretum. It's been there over 15 years, I think...

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Maple,_1974-2007.jpg

 

[Jrbrown4]

Maple Inspiration

Finding this thread was a real pleasure. I had the privilege of seeing pjkatich's maples in person at one of our North Florida Bonsai meetings and he really inspired a lot of our club to grow this material. I now have about 10-15 seedlings harvest between 08-09 and have been playing with the idea of a forest planting or a root over rock depending on what kind of root growth I can promote next year. Plus after seeing this harvested maple it inspired me to search the creek bed near my yard and I found a prime candidate that I will have to try and tackle next spring. Thanks

 

[Jay Wilson]

Martin, if you're still around, how 'bout an update...... I'd really like to see this tree after three more years.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Jay,

I am still around, but the tree isn't. I haven't bothered to dig anymore red maples. I miss this tree.

Regards,
Martin

 

[the bonsai kid]

What happened!

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Kid,

Deer attack. It ate hard on it one night and the tree never recovered. I do not understand why it decided to eat on this red maple, there are other red maple in my yard that they could have eaten instead, but they choose the only one I cared about! I assume it was the fresh, well watered growth.

Regards,
Martin

 

[Jay Wilson]

Wow! That really sucks..... I had a neighbors cows destroy a couple of mine once. Yep, it was the succulent new growth that attracted them.

Thanks for the update.