Small grouping of Red Maples
- Thread starter WavyGaby
- Start date
WavyGaby
Shohin
SU2
Omono
Without first having let their trunks fatten, won't this simply not work? IE if there's multiple stems to create the illusion of 'forest/group' style trees then it's just gonna be engulfed by the giant leaves...perhaps the leaf-reduction on Rubrum is enough that it'll look like a mini bush with multiple stems suspending it, but - hate saying this but feel it's important - but there will never be a believable forest created off of that stock unless it's taken & grown-out :/
You collected those from your yard which means it's plentiful in your area- Why not go collecting some yamadori of real size? I love rubrum it has quickly become one of my favorite specie in past 2yrs (my first ones were collected the winter-before-last), but even w/ my larger ones I worry(err, I ponder) Re how I'm going to deal with leaf-size....on lil sticks like that grouping the leaf size will be nearly insurmountable problem, you'd hit a point where your style, and horticultural, goals would be directly opposed (ie you'd want to be defoliating, reducing container volume etc for leaf reduction, all the things that help leaf reduction are inherently "anti horticultural" as the smaller leaves are a 'injured response' from the tree, it cannot be kept in that state forever where you're always pinching and never letting them grow, but letting them grow - when they're that small & undeveloped - letting them grow would see them changing-form so rapidly because they want to be big trees
I was blown away at how easily they're collected, I usually get them from underwater in swamps but there's plenty of areas where you only need to stand in some mud, you don't need to take some massive rootmass home they seem able to be collected with small rootmasses than even bald cypresses which you can almost 'neuter' the bottom of the trunk-base and it'll quickly re-establish a rootplate
You collected those from your yard which means it's plentiful in your area- Why not go collecting some yamadori of real size? I love rubrum it has quickly become one of my favorite specie in past 2yrs (my first ones were collected the winter-before-last), but even w/ my larger ones I worry(err, I ponder) Re how I'm going to deal with leaf-size....on lil sticks like that grouping the leaf size will be nearly insurmountable problem, you'd hit a point where your style, and horticultural, goals would be directly opposed (ie you'd want to be defoliating, reducing container volume etc for leaf reduction, all the things that help leaf reduction are inherently "anti horticultural" as the smaller leaves are a 'injured response' from the tree, it cannot be kept in that state forever where you're always pinching and never letting them grow, but letting them grow - when they're that small & undeveloped - letting them grow would see them changing-form so rapidly because they want to be big trees
I was blown away at how easily they're collected, I usually get them from underwater in swamps but there's plenty of areas where you only need to stand in some mud, you don't need to take some massive rootmass home they seem able to be collected with small rootmasses than even bald cypresses which you can almost 'neuter' the bottom of the trunk-base and it'll quickly re-establish a rootplate
SU2
Omono
Love the passiflora ID-pic by the way! I propagate a ton of p.edulis here, the bees love it but I do it primarily for the butterflies, you cannot be in my yard in the summer w/o seeing butterflies, between the passiflora and this "purple porterweed" shrub I also propagate the hell outta, it's given so many butterflies that it's the first time I've ever seen/known a garden where you could count on seeing butterflies anytime you went outside
WavyGaby
Shohin
Hello, thanks for the feedback. You are right, the proportions on this group will probably not create a realistic forest, and it will pretty much look like bush with a bunch of stems. I had a native wildlife habitat yard so I got a little out of hand over the last couple years just collecting anything green. My family and I are in a townhome now waiting for our next place. My initial thinking in creating this was 1. I have too many sticks in pots, 2. I need to consolidate, 3. experiment and see if small pot alone will create small leaves. 4. Can I keep them alive?Without first having let their trunks fatten, won't this simply not work? IE if there's multiple stems to create the illusion of 'forest/group' style trees then it's just gonna be engulfed by the giant leaves...perhaps the leaf-reduction on Rubrum is enough that it'll look like a mini bush with multiple stems suspending it, but - hate saying this but feel it's important - but there will never be a believable forest created off of that stock unless it's taken & grown-out :/
You collected those from your yard which means it's plentiful in your area- Why not go collecting some yamadori of real size? I love rubrum it has quickly become one of my favorite specie in past 2yrs (my first ones were collected the winter-before-last), but even w/ my larger ones I worry(err, I ponder) Re how I'm going to deal with leaf-size....on lil sticks like that grouping the leaf size will be nearly insurmountable problem, you'd hit a point where your style, and horticultural, goals would be directly opposed (ie you'd want to be defoliating, reducing container volume etc for leaf reduction, all the things that help leaf reduction are inherently "anti horticultural" as the smaller leaves are a 'injured response' from the tree, it cannot be kept in that state forever where you're always pinching and never letting them grow, but letting them grow - when they're that small & undeveloped - letting them grow would see them changing-form so rapidly because they want to be big trees
I was blown away at how easily they're collected, I usually get them from underwater in swamps but there's plenty of areas where you only need to stand in some mud, you don't need to take some massive rootmass home they seem able to be collected with small rootmasses than even bald cypresses which you can almost 'neuter' the bottom of the trunk-base and it'll quickly re-establish a rootplate
The first year of the experiment, as well as, the information I've read since then indicates that a small pot alone doesn't do much to change leaf size.
I have kept them alive and I see some good buds. I really love the fall color on mature specimens.
I have another large Rubrum that I collected 2 years ago. I havent done any root work or trimmed it since collecting, however, I have a plan for it that includes re potting this year.
Attachments
WavyGaby
Shohin
WavyGaby
Shohin
That is awesome. Sounds very peaceful. Pics?Love the passiflora ID-pic by the way! I propagate a ton of p.edulis here, the bees love it but I do it primarily for the butterflies, you cannot be in my yard in the summer w/o seeing butterflies, between the passiflora and this "purple porterweed" shrub I also propagate the hell outta, it's given so many butterflies that it's the first time I've ever seen/known a garden where you could count on seeing butterflies anytime you went outside
SU2
Omono
It really is beautiful, I've been in semi-tropical FL for nearly a decade but grew up in MA, miss my autumn colors....
Here in FL, the natural Red Maple groves lose most of their leaves, right now in the past month they dropped most of them and what remains are scratches of deep deep red hues it is awesome.... In 'captivity' /containerized, my two large Reds are both just now doing their color changes, one has been getting into it over the past month and is now nearing "peak color-awesomeness", the other is just starting to change-from-green....the funny thing is they'll both be hitting their spring-bud-breaking in like 1mo, couldn't help think of their inability to fully go dormant as being unable to sneeze/burp when you need to LOL, they want to go dormant but cannot
Colorful guy:
Greener one, starting to go to color:
Love them but even at this size am real worried about how hard it's gonna be to keep foliage-size in check once they finally reach Refinement stages
WavyGaby
Shohin
Still doing. A little more ramification. I hope the second tree from right will back bud ao I can reduce.
First pic is indoors before I trimmed. Second pic (outside) is after pruning largest leaves and the proportions are reasonable.
Btw, I realized I spoke much too soon about pot size affecting leaf size in my previous post. I am curious to see if I will continue to get smaller leaves as secondary and tertiary growth come each year.
First pic is indoors before I trimmed. Second pic (outside) is after pruning largest leaves and the proportions are reasonable.
Btw, I realized I spoke much too soon about pot size affecting leaf size in my previous post. I am curious to see if I will continue to get smaller leaves as secondary and tertiary growth come each year.
Attachments
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Don't worry about ramification and branch structure yet....let them grow for a few years to get some junk in the trunk.....then choppy choppy.
RKatzin
Omono
Wigerts Bonsai in FLA for all your mica pots and Bonsai Pot Connection for nice Chinese forest planters.Nice work, looks like you didn’t plant all in one line
how big is the pot?
I’ve been having trouble finding good forest size planting containers, whether they are training or finalized. Would love for someone to chime in on a good source?
SC1989
Mame
Lol. I found some nice 12 inch wide 4 inch deep round plastic pots at a local greenhouse . 4 bucks a piece.
WavyGaby
Shohin
Nothing special but It's still alive. I lost one of the original 5 seedlings so i removed it and basically slip potted it to a bigger container in early spring 2022. I think the roots became bound and starved the weakest one out. 
Backwardsvg
Shohin
Looking good but 4 can be unlucky in some viewpoints maybe slip another one in if youre into that sort of thing
WavyGaby
Shohin
What about 3? Maybe I take the right one out next repot?
KiwiPlantGuy
Omono
Hi, there’s a fifth one, but it’s hiding behind the left hand trunk in the photo. Playing Peek-a-boo kind of.
Charles
WavyGaby
Shohin
Cool fall colors and I got many small leaves. I'll repot into a decent glazed pot this spring.
Maybe if the ones in the left Fuze then I can call it three!
Maybe if the ones in the left Fuze then I can call it three!
WavyGaby
Shohin
I had to repot this year so I figured why not revise the composition, too.
I took out the tree on the right so that just the other three remain. I used a copper wire to push the far left tree over left more so that all three are leaning that way slightly.
Here is the other one. Im not in love with the top. I'll remove the wire soon and try clip and grow from there
I took out the tree on the right so that just the other three remain. I used a copper wire to push the far left tree over left more so that all three are leaning that way slightly.
Here is the other one. Im not in love with the top. I'll remove the wire soon and try clip and grow from there
WavyGaby
Shohin
Doing well. Did a partial outer canopy defoliation in early May. I will just remove large leaves in favor of smaller growth the rest of the summer.
