Silver maple practice tree

wsteinhoff

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I had thought of trying silver maple since we've got some nice ones around here but decided not because I read about how they don't reduce their leaves and internodes. Seeing this though I might collect one next year and try it. If they won't reduce well they could always just be made into a larger tree right?
 

aml1014

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If they won't reduce well they could always just be made into a larger tree right?
Correct you can just make a larger tree, but, last year I did a little experiment with a sapling and I pruned it every couple weeks, the leaves were about 1.5" so I have faith they'll reduce with ramification and lots of pruning lol

Aaron
 

aml1014

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Amazing how terrible my memory can be.lol
@wsteinhoff this is one I've been playing with this year and somehow forgot until this morning. I've pruned this one 3 times this year and just realized this morning how small the leaves were!
Here's the stick in a pot 1 year old lol20160911_073603.jpg
New crop of leaves20160911_073615.jpg
The last crop of leaves20160911_073626.jpg
Here's the current size of the leaves on the main tree of this thread20160906_072343.jpg
And the leaf size of my giant sapling from page 1.20160906_072409.jpg
I'd say these things may even have the chance to make nice shohin if you work on them enough!

Aaron
 

wsteinhoff

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That's a huge difference. I'll have to give it a try in the spring. I've got some in the woods I can dig up and have got 5 very large old ones in the yard that make a bunch of seedlings every year.
 

wsteinhoff

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Found this little thing on one of our trees. I guess they can be pretty small.
20160911_131945.jpg
 

Eric Group

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http://www.absbonsai.org/maples-bonsai
I'd also like to try a sugar maple, in this link they say they make good bonsai for between 25"-48" that's what I'm mostly aiming for with all of the silver maples I have (except for a few silly mame). Like this guy, out of 200 seedlings it was one with consistently smaller leaves and internodes so I twisted it up. The leaves are about 2" and it's only 2"tall, I'm going to let the trunk thicken for a couple years and fuse into a knot, then I'll chop back and put into a mame pot to develop the branch structure.View attachment 115165
Aaron
Now, take those pig tails and smash it down so the trunks are touching each other then let it all grow into one big "pile of tree"!
 

aml1014

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Now, take those pig tails and smash it down so the trunks are touching each other then let it all grow into one big "pile of tree"!
I think I will squish it down now that you say that.
I've read these things grow as far south as orlando. I'm tempted to let this guy drop it's leaves and move it into my greenhouse to give it an early start for next year, plus it's small and won't take up to much space.

Aaron
 

Grant Hamby

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Dude. I love this. Silver maples are like weeds here. Definitely gonna go for it. Got a huge 5-trunk in the front yard, maybe I'll get an air-layer from it since the leaves are pretty small on that particular tree.
 

miker

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I think I will squish it down now that you say that.
I've read these things grow as far south as orlando. I'm tempted to let this guy drop it's leaves and move it into my greenhouse to give it an early start for next year, plus it's small and won't take up to much space.

Aaron

I know this is a late response, but I would leave it outside during the winter where you are. Their native range extends into the Fl Panhandle, but I never once saw one (except for maybe one at Leu Gardens and one at Lake Eola) in Orlando.

My uncle gave me a big bag of seeds (from Lansing, Mi) which I distributed along a forested stretch of canal near Orlando in 2006. I never did see a single one crop up between 2006 - 2014, when we moved.
 

aml1014

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I know this is a late response, but I would leave it outside during the winter where you are. Their native range extends into the Fl Panhandle, but I never once saw one (except for maybe one at Leu Gardens and one at Lake Eola) in Orlando.

My uncle gave me a big bag of seeds (from Lansing, Mi) which I distributed along a forested stretch of canal near Orlando in 2006. I never did see a single one crop up between 2006 - 2014, when we moved.
The little guy did end up leafing out, but is obviously weaker then the ones left outside, lesson learned! Lol plus they don't even need protection here in winter so why bother wasting greenhouse space? No more of that for me.

Aaron
 
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