Starting over with A.P. "Hanami Nishiki"

[Alkaid]

Hi everyone, I had a recent post where I purchased a mislabeled J. Procumbens as my first bonsai and as a result of the feedback, I returned it for this A.P. "Hanami Nishiki" nursery stock. I think that I will learn more about bonsai by actually creating one. It is in a 5 gal container and appears very healthy. There is certainly much work to do with this tree and hopefully based on study and input from this forum I will feel confident to do some pruning this fall.

It's height is currently about 30 inches, and in a location that receives about 3-4 hours of full sun per day.

I did foolishly trim a small number of the inner twiggy branches to open it up, but in retrospect I should have taken it's picture and asked before I did anything.

As it's currently a big tangled mess, I would love to hear opinions about this tree specifically, and this apparently uncommon cultivar as well.

 

[berobinson82]

Can you show us a close up of the trunk? Just want to make sure it's not grafted.

 

[Alkaid]

Here is the trunk, it certainly appears to be grafted. Anyway the graft seems quite clean but maybe you all can tell me what I'm looking at here.

 

[berobinson82]

I'm no expert and I'll certainly defer to the seniors here; however, usually grafts on JMs are avoided as they will only become more visible over time. This is is fairly low so perhaps a tourniquet can be used to grow new roots above the graft. It may put you behind a season on this guy. Beware, this is going to have to be cut back a bunch to make for good taper and it may even need some time in the ground to fatten up. Luckily, time passes anyways. Keep her alive and happy for now

 

[rockm]

The current height is immaterial. You will be removing probably around 85-90 percent of it to make a bonsai at this point with trunk chops. The final height of a bonsai from this tree at this point would probably top out at less than 12 inches, possibly less than 7 or 8.

The thing to measure when you're sizing up a potential bonsai candidates is the trunk diameter at soil level and overall appeal of the trunk for it's first foot or so (on a smaller tree like this). The lower third of any trunk is the skeleton that everything else will hang on.

There does appear to be a graft on the trunk down low, but it's not a classic low root crown graft that can be used in bonsai effectively. The point where the tree has rougher bark (with the smooth lime green immature bark above) is about where the graft is. Since specialty JM maples are typically grafted onto faster-growing root stock, the union between the two will bulge as time goes on, which CAN give the trunk a weird "necked up" appearance as the dominant lower trunk overtakes the scion.

however, this is a variable thing. Some grafts bulge more than others. Some don't at all but you won't know for years. You can air layer above the graft to get the top off now, or you could work with the tree for a few years and wait on the air layering until it starts showing signs of bad things...Waiting on the air layer would take advantage of the vigor of the root stock to develop new branches after you chop the trunk...Air layering in five or six years after that's done would speed development up. If you air layer now, you will have to wait at least another year to begin work on the chop and top...

FWIW, plain old Japanese maple stock usually outperforms and is more adaptable to bonsai culture than specialty varieties. Maples "mutts" don't have graft marks and can be hardier and less finicky than the specialist cultivars.

 

[Alkaid]

Thanks all for the great information. I believe that I will wait a few years on the air layering as Rockm mentioned above, to both allow time for branch development and to practice this technique beforehand. Am I right that significant pruning on deciduous trees should take place in the fall?

Is there anything else I should fiddle with on this tree for now other than keeping it alive?

 

[rockm]

"Am I right that significant pruning on deciduous trees should take place in the fall?"

It is exactly the WRONG time to do siginificant pruning . In doing so, unless the tree is COMPLETELY dormant, you will stimulate backbudding and new growth that will be killed off with the first frost.

Significant trunk reduction should be done in late winter or early spring and the tree protected from hard freezes afterward. In doing spring reduction, you also take advantage of the tree's natural growth cycle as it enters its most active growth in the spring. Hard reductions in fall force the plant to sit with no healing or growth for months. Winter cold willl also cause die back on hard pruned areas, or entire portions of the trunk below the chop.

 

[TheSteve]

This is waaaaay better than the juni. It looks like the main trunkline will be the most useful. Looking at your last picture, I'd cut those two straight branches/trunks on the left. Leave about an inch long stub for die back. You can remove them in the spring. Don't trim anything back too hard since you may be needing some longer branches to thread graft later, there's no promises about finding a donor tree down the road if this one doesn't back bud well, some cultivars don't. I second the opinion of forgetting about the graft for a while, no sense in fixing what isn't broke and may never be. You're in a good climate for maples, Since this area never sees any sun, it's hard to burn them up. Keep it in a spot that gets morning sun but shade once the afternoon rolls around.

 

[Alkaid]

Do you think it would be okay to remove those two main branches on the left now? They are pretty big. I look at it and think what on earth is this going to look like without those branches there... Won't the main trunk have a nasty bend there?

 

[TheSteve]

Define "nasty". Those bends are why I advocated using that line. In this sport it's straight lines that are nasty.

 

[Alkaid]

I'm starting to see it now. These are the "dreadful branches" I've read about. So they are each about a quarter the diameter of the main trunk. Should I lob them off now? And then what, seal it or leave it be?

 

[TheSteve]

For a shorter tree I'd use the red line. For a taller tree, the green. Don't do it just because I say so, but look at some images of maple bonsai and you'll notice two things: movement in the trunk and taper.

 

[Alkaid]

I'm glad I made the swap. This will be much more of a challenge and more rewarding if successful. So to be clear, those left most branches can be removed now? I'm paranoid about it.

 

[TheSteve]

I would cut those two now. Leave a stub like I mentioned. then, if you can, post a picture from all four sides, there may be better lines that aren't visible from just the one picture. It wouldn't hurt to remove the top layer of soil and have a look at the roots. They play a major role in the design process as well.

 

[Alkaid]

Thanks for your kind help in assisting me with this tree, TheSteve. I have removed those branches and understand why they needed to go. Here are the pictures.

Front:


Left:


Back:


Right:


Overall:


Do I need to seal these cuts?

 

[TheSteve]

Ugh, a sealing question lol. In this case I would say no because you aren't looking for healing here just waiting for the stump to die. when you remove the stumps next year then sealing those cuts would be reasonable.

 

[milehigh_7]

Ugh, a sealing question lol.

BA HA HA HA HA!!!!! Doubt the newer folk will get that joke but wow what a fight that can start eh??? Paging King Kong...

 

[TheSteve]

I feel that my answer was as politically correct as they come...

 

[Alkaid]

I gather this joke revolves around sealing being a contentious topic of discussion then, right?

 

[daygan]

I haven't been around long but it seems that opinions range from "always seal" to "it's completely unnecessary so don't ever bother" . It seems that some might be relatively passionate about their opinions