Saved (or not) maple from landfill

[Bonsai & Bourbon]

My neighbor is getting a pool and they bulldozed his Japanese Maple. I salvaged it (he thinks I'm crazy) around mid-March and spent 3 hours cutting the roots and putting it in a tub with drainage holes. The soil is compost, small pine bark, peat moss, and vermiculite that drains well. I watered it and left it covered with a plastic bag for a couple of weeks and then rolled it out into the patio that gets 3 or 4 hours of late morning sun. No buds. I'm going to give it a few more weeks. Any thoughts

 

[Shibui]

You have done everything you can do. Now it is up to the tree. Sometimes it seems there are no dormant buds really low on old trunks in which case nothing anyone can do will make any difference. If there are some dormant buds hiding under the bark it should sprout. Often takes quite a while for those older buds to wake up so don't be surprised if nothing appears to be happening for weeks after other maples have sprouted. I would continue care until at least mid-summer before giving up on it.

(he thinks I'm crazy)

Welcome to bonsai. It is unlikely to be the last time someone thinks that......

 

[Dkdhej]

You have done everything you can do. Now it is up to the tree. Sometimes it seems there are no dormant buds really low on old trunks in which case nothing anyone can do will make any difference.

I'm just curious.
If the tree didn't have any dormant buds in the trunk, would it work to graft branches to it?

 

[Jphipps]

I had a Japanese Maple stump come back to life long after I potted it up. Literally months later a couple buds popped out, and are now branches. I assumed it was already dead and ignored it. Give it time. Down the road, you can scratch test on the bark in an inconspicuous area to see if there's any green.

 

[Shibui]

If the tree didn't have any dormant buds in the trunk, would it work to graft branches to it?

Theoretically should be possible. In practice the grafts may not heal up well if the stump is not actively growing.
Approach grafts would probably be most likely to succeed but ask yourself whether it is actually worth the time and effort. It may be thick but that is not the most important thing for JM bonsai. I think you could do a much better job in less time growing new trees from seed.

 

[Dkdhej]

Theoretically should be possible. In practice the grafts may not heal up well if the stump is not actively growing.
Approach grafts would probably be most likely to succeed but ask yourself whether it is actually worth the time and effort. It may be thick but that is not the most important thing for JM bonsai. I think you could do a much better job in less time growing new trees from seed.

Thanks! I learnt a lot

 

[bwaynef]

I'd seal the chops. At least around the edges.