Seiryu

timhanson81

Yamadori
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Is anyone using Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' for bonsai? I couldn't find any pictures in a quick search, but it seems like it would be a great candidate. I'd love to see a group of these dissected leaved trees in a forest planting. Their leaves are closer in overall size to Acer palmatum sp. than to most of the larger leaved dissectum varieties and I assume they could be reduced a bit.

I collected a bunch of seed from a beautiful Seiryu last fall, and out of the 500 or so seedlings currently growing, about 50 have nice dissected leaves. Now I realize that these seedlings aren't technically 'Seiryu' and that they may not even keep these seedling leaf characteristics, but I am excited to see how they progress. I was also reading that it is possible to grow this variety from cuttings.

Anyone have any reasons as to why they are not more widely used for bonsai other than the fact that they are mostly grafts?
 

Paul H.

Seedling
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I have a a seiryu that was cutting grown . The only trouble with it is its growing habit. it grow in vase shape which leave you with a choice of broom style or wire all the branches.Growing japanese maple from seed can be fun becauce you never know what you will get. That is how we get new types. yes some jm will grow from cutting . I got my from www.greenthumbbonsai.com . The reason most maples are grafted for landscaping and are ugly grafts .So no one wants them for bonsai .But look around sometimes you can find a with real smooth grafts. I have a few. I would not buy any slow growing or dwarf japanese maple grafted. Because the understock grow faster then the top. and over time it will look strange. www. nishikimaples.com grafts are real good and it you tell him it for bonsai he has some for that . Hope this helps . paul
 

Pine Barron

Yamadori
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I have a a seiryu that was cutting grown . The only trouble with it is its growing habit. it grow in vase shape which leave you with a choice of broom style or wire all the branches.Growing japanese maple from seed can be fun becauce you never know what you will get. That is how we get new types. yes some jm will grow from cutting . I got my from www.greenthumbbonsai.com . The reason most maples are grafted for landscaping and are ugly grafts .So no one wants them for bonsai .But look around sometimes you can find a with real smooth grafts. I have a few. I would not buy any slow growing or dwarf japanese maple grafted. Because the understock grow faster then the top. and over time it will look strange. www. nishikimaples.com grafts are real good and it you tell him it for bonsai he has some for that . Hope this helps . paul

Wait what? LOL...

I have been growing one of these for a few years now. I don't have it in a bonsai pot but, can't think of any reason it wouldn't be an interesting bonsai. No Pics.

I looked on "google images" for one of these as bonsai and did not find anything noteworthy. Any pics out there of anything interesting?
 
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mcpesq817

Omono
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I have a couple that I'm growing out now - one was a rooted cutting, the other grafted. I'm doubtful if I'll ever get anything bonsai worthy out of them, but the leaves on them are pretty cool, and for the low cost I paid for them, at the time I figured I'd try them out.

This variety is the only (or one of the very few) upright dissectums. Given the growth habit which is more vase-like, I don't think you could grow these out for bonsai like a typical JM, but rather, you'd have to grow it out into more of an umbrella form.
 
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