Repotting a couple J. Maple

0soyoung

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Hi MrFancyplants. Did you try to smooth those scar's? What happened? Never seem any one even trying...
I’d have to admit the scars don’t look so great so far, but I’m hopeful that it will get better with time. I have a good apical sacrifice going which should help, but will also lead to it’s own scar. I’ll snap some photos once the leaves drop and we can take a look.
 
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Here is a shot of the worst of the scars, bordering on reverse taper. My plan was to smooth out half the scar now, let it heal over, and then smooth out the other half. First part is taking it’s time healing over, but I think we’ll get there in another five to seven years.
Some of the smaller scars have healed over nicely. I had to reduce the sacrifice dramatically as it was catching the wind and falling off the table. I may try to air layer this year and start a new one next year.
 

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I separated the sacrifice/ air layer today.. it was my first not ficus airlayer in many years, so I can see some things I could do better next time, like the source radial layer technique,but on the whole I am optimistic it will survive. I cut off most of the runners and applied cut paste. Also I used the length of the sacrifice as an anchor so I won’t need to tie it in. I cut a few higher up roots that I know I won’t want.
I could have waited longer to separate, but I think I’ve been overwatering the mother plant in an effort to keep the air-layer damp.972C9D57-F5F8-4147-9D2B-40842E69CFFC.jpegimage.jpg
 
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And the mother... I’m wondering if I should hit woh some fungcide. It had been doing well, but a few of the newest leaves were shriveled and or crispy. I tried to get a shot of some potential new apex buds.
 

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Driftwood

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And the mother... I’m wondering if I should hit woh some fungcide. It had been doing well, but a few of the newest leaves were shriveled and or crispy. I tried to get a shot of some potential new apex buds.

Looking nice! the leaves don't look too bad for me but hey I do hit the fungicide once a year just in case! when conditions are warm and wet. by the way! have you ever tried peg grafting on ficus?
 
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Looking nice! the leaves don't look too bad for me but hey I do hit the fungicide once a year just in case! when conditions are warm and wet. by the way! have you ever tried peg grafting on ficus?
I get my graft types mixed up, but I’m not very good at it anyways. I tried a couple grafts on my benjamina airlayer but I’m sure it was user error. I used an exacto and a thumbtack and no wax or cut paste.

 
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I did a little cleaning out of the dense inner foliage that I know I won’t need and took out a few branches around my new presumed leader.. I may end up going a node lower though.

the scars are progressing, but a LONG way to go yet. Is it a good plan to wait un to l leaf drop to address the scars and apply cut paste? Maybe with a dremel?

the branches will need some balancing too, but I think it is about time to develop branches to get away from the Christmas tree look?
The air-layer seems to be doing well.
 

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Hack Yeah!

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No expert but I'd go ahead and expose the inner ring of cambium and get a little more healing this season
 
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Checking out the healing and structure before the spring rush... they both could use some work. Not terrible from the back, but the taper in general is not as great as I hoped. Should I run some sacrifice to thicken the lower branches? Is it a lost cause? Should I chop?
 

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0soyoung

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Let me try to think through some possibilities with you.

Personally, I think it is going to be a long, long time until that wound is grown over, so it needs to be toward or at the back, like seen your second and third pix, for examples. The other argument is to suppose that wound is grown over - so then what do you have using the view of the first pic as the front? --> the front will be something like seen in the last two pix.

Next, that heavy branch is too heavy, too straight, and too close to horizontal. Regardless of what potential futures there might be with it, it must be shorter and lighter. So I think it should be cut back to the visible buds closest to the trunk, much like you've done a little while back with the lower ones. I would be doing this now, as I can see no purpose in keeping it as is.

I keep thinking that I want to chop of everything above this heavy, straight, horizontal branch and make what develops this year the next trunk section. My reasons/rationales are that the trunk has some subtle movement as seen in the second pic, but there's a big yucky knob caused by the wound in this view. In the third pic view the wound is not a problem, but I don't like the straight internode continuing the straight line of the trunk below. Regardless, I'm reluctant to simply choo again. This thinking just leads me to conclude that there is too much weight up top = it needs to be shortened. Maybe girdle the trunk at roughly the level of the top edge of the last two pix, and get another layer this year.

Alternatively, that heavy branch cut back could be the beginnings of a nice branch and you keep some part of the existing trunk between it and the top edge of your latter two pix. Referring to the view close to that of the third pic, the next node up, above the chop wound, comes toward us as we want a bonsai to do. Then the next node goes away and will create an unfriendly feeling bonsai. So I think that you might want to cut off everything above that node above the wound. It does have a branch coming toward us that might be the apex leader.

So, what do you think of something like this as your trunk? SharedScreenshot.jpg

If you comfortably see where it goes from here, you could go for it now. If you're uneasy about it, just
  • Cut back the heavy branch to the buds closest to the trunk
And then give it some more thought after seeing how it develops this season.


Personally I think the only lost cause in bonsai is a dead tree. As long as it is alive and growing vigorously, it can be made into something different (and keeping it alive and growing vigorously is part of the challenge). It is simply a question of my ability to read the possibilities the tree presents, make a plan to make it appear differently, then execute that plan, observe and adjust the plan as things develop.
 

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Heavy branches and lack of taper are common faults in the majority of fast grown JM. The temptation is to keep it all because of the time taken. Often the best course is to remove all heavy branches and chop the trunk to get rid of the problems and grow better replacements using what you have learned the first time round.
Leaving clusters of branches and even clusters of little shoots like you have at most of the nodes on this tree can quickly cause local thickening. I have learned to rub off all excess buds several times through summer to prevent local thickening. After it has happened it is too late to cure.

Sometimes a problem JM can be renovated. Sometimes it is quicker and easier to start again.
 
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@MrFancyPlants, I noticed this tree on Insta today and it flashed me back to your dilemma.
The hornbeam? because it is straight, up until some reverse taper, chopped and regrown into a new direction? I hope mine can approach this elegance someday, and it does give me courage to chop It back. I’ll do some thinking on it and maybe set up another airlayer this year to bring it down.
After reading your comments, I was eying the upward pointing bud at the knob sight as a potential new leader, or even carving up the knob some more instead of chopping, but I get a feeling that is not often done with maples for a reason.

Thank you for the input. I enjoy it well enough in foliage that I don’t think I’d give up on it, but also thank you for the encouragement.
 
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