Shohin Jap Maple

[small trees]

I got this one in a trade and it just arrived. I'm pretty excited about it. I'll post updates on this one as it progresses. Thoughts/comments are welcome.

Not sure why the pictures upload out of order. Pic 3 would be the front. Although I may like pic 2 better. it looks like it was wired with pic 2 as the front.

I believe it is in need of a repot, and it was suggested that I pot it into something shallower. I'm not a pot hoarder like most of you guys, so I will have to find a pot and buy it. If anyone wants to suggest a glaze, it would be appreciated. I do like the dark blue that it is currently in, but I'm not very good at envisioning what it would look like with a pot switched out.

 

[drew33998]

That is an awesome little guy. I would be tempted to let the first branch on the right grow up into the apex almost like a twin trunk type.

 

[Dav4]

Nice little tree with a nice base. Looks like a repot is in order...no worries on the next pot as the tree is still to young to worry about that. If this were mine, I'd be thinking about cutting back the top/lowering the apex a bit, and beginning to work on ramification. Good luck with it,

Dave

 

[Neli]

Nice tree...I like 2 as a front simply because the scars are seen less.JM is not supposed to have scars.

 

[small trees]

Nice little tree with a nice base. Looks like a repot is in order...no worries on the next pot as the tree is still to young to worry about that. If this were mine, I'd be thinking about cutting back the top/lowering the apex a bit, and beginning to work on ramification. Good luck with it,

Dave

Where would you cut back to?

Nice tree...I like 2 as a front simply because the scars are seen less.JM is not supposed to have scars.

There is one scar facing that front, but my camera doesn't do very well in picking up detail unless the light is just right. The base looks a lot more impressive in person than it does in these pictures as well. Very close to 'pancake' nebari.

 

[evmibo]

can o worms

JM is not supposed to have scars.

Can't help saying bs here. From what I've learned, which probably isn't much - is that in Japan the less signs of scars the better (for JM). But, that's in shows, and I'd bet 100% of "scarless" JM's in shows had scars at one point or another.

Anyways, that's Japan, I've seen several JM with excellent scars and even jins. To say that they're supposed to be scarless is such a stretch!

Now with this individual tree, I'd say work at healing the scars up (they really aren't bad) and work with picture #2 or #3 as a front (or an angle close to it). Whichever promotes an apex that is leaning towards the viewer more.

 

[Eric Group]

Can't help saying bs here. From what I've learned, which probably isn't much - is that in Japan the less signs of scars the better (for JM). But, that's in shows, and I'd bet 100% of "scarless" JM's in shows had scars at one point or another.

Anyways, that's Japan, I've seen several JM with excellent scars and even jins. To say that they're supposed to be scarless is such a stretch!

Now with this individual tree, I'd say work at healing the scars up (they really aren't bad) and work with picture #2 or #3 as a front (or an angle close to it). Whichever promotes an apex that is leaning towards the viewer more.

Wait, so you call BS that JM are not supposed to have scars, then admit that the good ones- the ones in shows- do NOT have scars and your first piece of advice is for the OP to heal the scars, AND your fist selection of the best front is the same as hers?? Am I missing something here? I am calling BS on you calling BS. JM are supposed to be delicate, feminine, beautiful trees that generally reflect a serene, peaceful feeling and not some rugged, clinging to a cliff face struggling to survive type of image like that of a rugged old Juniper... I have NOT seen many/ any successful Japanese Maples with a bunch of Jin/ old dead branches. Perhaps you could produce a few examples? I have seen some almost tortured to death MALSAI JM ( got one or two in MY own yard) with dead branches and stuff- but that is only because they were recently dug up, and struggled through a rough winter. The dead stuff normally gets removed on these trees, and the goal is normally to heal the scars, not display them and integrate them into the design with a big hollow or Shari. Not picking a fight or anything here BTW, just reinforcing what Neli said. I think she is pretty much dead on.

 

[ArborealGod]

3 is easily the best front, even if it leans away from the viewer....I would reduce the apex to the third branch from the bottom in pic 3 and redirect the next leader to the right..Very interesting nebari, almost like crossed legs...Lot of potential in this little one....What var. if I may ask?

 

[small trees]

3 is easily the best front, even if it leans away from the viewer....I would reduce the apex to the third branch from the bottom in pic 3 and redirect the next leader to the right..Very interesting nebari, almost like crossed legs...Lot of potential in this little one....What var. if I may ask?

I think it's a standard palmatum, if not i'll be pleasantly surprised. That's an interesting idea as far as reducing to the branch you're talking about.

 

[Dav4]

I think it's a standard palmatum, if not i'll be pleasantly surprised. That's an interesting idea as far as reducing to the branch you're talking about.

That's where I would cut back to, as well.

 

[small trees]

Talking about here, correct?

 

[Dav4]

yes.........

 

[Vin]

yes.........

I must be catching on because I wanted to suggest that cut but I'm not qualified. Is this the tree from Bonsai Swap Meet?

 

[small trees]

I must be catching on because I wanted to suggest that cut but I'm not qualified. Is this the tree from Bonsai Swap Meet?

yes it is.


edit:

@Dav: There are two branches where the first branch appears to be, that's why I asked.

 

[jkd2572]

Great little tree. I need to see it in leaf before cutting it back. We don't always have to chop our trees up just ,because we are bored.

 

[Eric Group]

Where (geographically) did you get this tree from? I am North of Statesboro, and every Maple I have is leafed out. Even the ones I repotted that were a couple weeks behind the others. This one looks like it is barely pushing right now.

Regardless, I don't think it needs a chop now. Let it grow the first half of the growing season, then cut back/ hedge it to about the shape you want. Let it grow again and do the same thing in the Fall, leaving one or two nodes of new growth on every branch farther than where you cut it the first time (should give you two branches from the first round of cuts on most limbs)- this will give you some nice ramification, but also move enough wood through the tree to start closing some scars.

If it fills in with a profusion of twigs (what I think you should be going for)- GREAT! You probably won't even need to chop the top off, but if you still don't like it a couple years from now you can decide what to do then- and probably will wind up with a whole lot more options to chose from at that point!

Good luck man, looks like a good star to a nice little tree.

 

[small trees]

Where (geographically) did you get this tree from? I am North of Statesboro, and every Maple I have is leafed out. Even the ones I repotted that were a couple weeks behind the others. This one looks like it is barely pushing right now.

Regardless, I don't think it needs a chop now. Let it grow the first half of the growing season, then cut back/ hedge it to about the shape you want. Let it grow again and do the same thing in the Fall, leaving one or two nodes of new growth on every branch farther than where you cut it the first time (should give you two branches from the first round of cuts on most limbs)- this will give you some nice ramification, but also move enough wood through the tree to start closing some scars.

If it fills in with a profusion of twigs (what I think you should be going for)- GREAT! You probably won't even need to chop the top off, but if you still don't like it a couple years from now you can decide what to do then- and probably will wind up with a whole lot more options to chose from at that point!

Good luck man, looks like a good star to a nice little tree.

1 - it's from pennsylvania, so no worriess there.

2 - shouldn't i be tweezing buds for ramification rather than growing out, which would promote longer internodes?

 

[Eric Group]

1 - it's from pennsylvania, so no worriess there.

2 - shouldn't i be tweezing buds for ramification rather than growing out, which would promote longer internodes?

Well there are two schools of thought on that- depends on who you talk to I guess. I am a big fan of Walter Paul's personally and I like his method. I will try to find you the article where he describes it- basically you let the tree grow for the first couple months of the growing season until the new growth hardens off. Will this create long internodes? Hell yeah, I hope so! If not your tree isn't very healthy! But, you are going to go back and cut the growth to the first one or two internodes after the growth hardens anyway, and the first couple nodes should be shorter than the successive ones in most cases because the first nodes are slower to grow (early in the year, colder weather, tree just waking up...). So, you should remove all the really long runners in the middle of the growing season. This acts almost like a slight defoliation as well, and instigates a new flush of growth (the first nodes again should be shorter..) and it will give you some ramification as each branch you cut should give you two new shoots from the spot where you cut it. Then you basically repeat the process once or twice more depending on the length of your growing season... That is a short summary but gives you the idea...

You can pinch the tree's new growth if you wish, but Paul says that basically removes the new growth and stored energy from the tree- WEAKENING the tree in a way that can eventually- over the course of doing this in successive years- pretty much kill your tree or at least leave it very unhealthy. You will get short nodes because your tree is growing off whatever remaining energy it has left after you just removed the growth tips where it was focusing all of it's stored energy! Basically, it grows shorter nodes because that is all it has left in the tank... The results may seem desirable for a big, old specimen tree in the refinement stage, but eventually even for trees like that they will need a year or two to grow free and recover. For a small tree like yours, in need of growth, thickening, scar healing, AND branch ramification, Walter's technique makes a lot more sense to me! If I find the article I will post the link for you- a really good read for EVERYONE who works on Maples IMO.

 

[M. Frary]

Works great on elms and boxwoods too.

 

[Dav4]

This is Walter's article on Hedging, lifted from IBC
http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t12681-refurbishing-a-japanese-maple-the-hedge-cutting-method