Spring Maple Work

bonsai barry

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Last year, Smoke started a thread where several us documented our spring work on maples. My contributions were short lived since my tree died.

I'm starting a new thread this year with the hopes that the tree can at least survive until summer. I bought this tree last year. When I repotted in January I thread grafted two maple seedlings into the base of the trunk to improve the nebari.

I'm not very skillful with my hands and the wood was much hard than I thought (I guess that's why its called a hardwood). My technique looked like a first timer, which I was, but I think at least one of the grafts is going to make it.
 

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milehigh_7

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Last year, Smoke started a thread where several us documented our spring work on maples. My contributions were short lived since my tree died.

I'm starting a new thread this year with the hopes that the tree can at least survive until summer. I bought this tree last year. When I repotted in January I thread grafted two maple seedlings into the base of the trunk to improve the nebari.

I'm not very skillful with my hands and the wood was much hard than I thought (I guess that's why its called a hardwood). My technique looked like a first timer, which I was, but I think at least one of the grafts is going to make it.

Well Smoke would encourage us to just go for it and try stuff, so here's to jumping into the water! Nice work!
 

Gene Deci

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I work almost exclusively with collected native species which includes a number of red maples. Last year a couple of them caught something bad. I took one into my local extension office and was told that it was a blight - he could not be any more specific - and he recommended a copper based fungiside. That did not help at all and I lost a very nice tree. I am afraid my other maples may be in jeopardy. Any suggestions?
 

Gene Deci

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Acer rubrum isn't a disease-prone plant, but it does get anthrascnose -- which isn't often fatal.

More info: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/anthracnose_east/fidl-ae.htm

The extension guy also said it wasn't likely to be fatal. On full-sized trees I expect that is true but it can kill a previously thriving bonsai tree and do it surprisingly quickly. The infected leaves started falling off and the new ones that came out would turn black and fall off before they were a half inch long. After a while it didn't have any. Pretty scary!

Thanks for the useful link.
 

Smoke

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That is a pretty nice piece of material. Lots of wiggles in the trunk.

Those grafts...are they thread grafts or approach grafts. I can't see where you bent anything down or brought anything closer to it????? Have they already been cut loose?
 

bonsai barry

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That is a pretty nice piece of material. Lots of wiggles in the trunk.

Those grafts...are they thread grafts or approach grafts. I can't see where you bent anything down or brought anything closer to it????? Have they already been cut loose?

It's difficult to see but they are thread grafts from the bottom of the nebari.
 
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