The 2010 Bonsainut Maple Project

[Smoke]

Lets all start a thread in the "maple" section with that title "The 2010 Bonsainut Maple Project.

It will have your name as thread starter so everyone will know whos whos.

Post you maple there and then people can comment in your thread about your tree. That way they won't get all mixed up with pics and everyone trying to figure out what comment goes with what picture. As for material, grow what you have. For me all my trident growouts have started with material about 1.25 to 1.50 inches across at the waist ie. chop site. From here I have taken them to as much as 5 inches across in only 6 inches of height with massive taper.

For those wishing to work on something smaller I posted one that was started with a trunk 1/2 inch across and finished out at about 1.25 inches across at the soil.

For those wishing to make a larger tree, more like that of the one Gary Wood posted that would be great. I think limiting this growout to smaller trees is limiting, and the whole point for me is to watch others grow out some material while learning and teaching. I want Gary Wood to write something up about that monster he posted and tell us what he did to get it to that point. What a great piece of material.

Hope you all post something real soon. Even if you don't have the material yet or your trees are in the deep freeze or cold frame, at least start the thread and post some ideas about what you have to chop or what you may be looking for to chop. Now is bare root time and stock can be sent in a plain brown box pretty easily right now. Shipping is cheap with no soil.

Post those trees, Al

 

[Smoke]

Yamadori, if we have a meeting in January, I have a smaller maple for you to do. It is about 5/8 across at the base and would be perfect for this. We can chop it in the Feb. meeting or Jan. if your impatient.

 

[Yamadori]

Yamadori, if we have a meeting in January, I have a smaller maple for you to do. It is about 5/8 across at the base and would be perfect for this. We can chop it in the Feb. meeting or Jan. if your impatient.

Count me in. Our January meeting is this Saturday. We are making pinch pots for kusamono. I might not make it to the February meeting. I am having foot surgery the weekend before. Unfortuately surgery weekend is shohin weekend so I will miss the convention. I will really try to heal enough to make the meeting but I might not be up for the drive.

 

[Smoke]

Bummer on the foot surgery. Double bummer it is shohin weekend also. This is going to be a goody I can just feel it. I signed up for three workshops just to get one. Have not recieved confirmation yet but hopes are high.

I will have your trident there and ready for its beheading. You don't have to do it now, it can be done later.

 

[Yamadori]

The foot surgery is a good thing. The timing sucks. See you Saturday.

 

[pjkatich]

Al,

I'm not real clear on the objective at this point. Please bear with me for I am currently recovering from a bit of the flu and I've lost a large number of brain cells in the process.

Is this going to be a comparison of how the growing techniques for trident maples that you are sharing with us work in different areas of the country or is it a comparison of how people in different areas of the country grow trident maples?

I got discouraged with the trident maple about 15 years ago. I was growing several of them root-over-rock and lost every one of them. I do know from experience that you can cut a trident back to far. I had one of the root-over-rock linger for almost two years without growth after being cut back like you have shown.

Nonetheless, I have a number that I have as you put it, "just been watering", for a number of years and in the last few have regained an interest in this species.

Thanks for all your great input.

Regards,
Paul

 

[JasonG]

Al,


Is this going to be a comparison of how the growing techniques for trident maples that you are sharing with us work in different areas of the country or is it a comparison of how people in different areas of the country grow trident maples?
Paul

Hi Paul,

I think it is going to be what I underlined above. If it were the other then we would all try to start with the same material and try to achieve the same thing. As it is now you can start with whatever material and shoot for any size or style you want.

Some of us will go for sumo style, and some of us will just go for a med sized trees. I think development is key.

Jason

 

[Smoke]

Al,

I'm not real clear on the objective at this point. Please bear with me for I am currently recovering from a bit of the flu and I've lost a large number of brain cells in the process.

Is this going to be a comparison of how the growing techniques for trident maples that you are sharing with us work in different areas of the country or is it a comparison of how people in different areas of the country grow trident maples?

I got discouraged with the trident maple about 15 years ago. I was growing several of them root-over-rock and lost every one of them. I do know from experience that you can cut a trident back to far. I had one of the root-over-rock linger for almost two years without growth after being cut back like you have shown.

Nonetheless, I have a number that I have as you put it, "just been watering", for a number of years and in the last few have regained an interest in this species.

Thanks for all your great input.

Regards,
Paul

Oh trust me Paul, I will be on pins and needles for a couple months to see if anything pops. If it does I will have something. If it doesn't I had nothing before so I would still have nothing. Forgive me I look at trees a little differently than most do. Unless it is ready for a show pot it is nothing, though to some it may still be something because it is living and therefore could be something else less radical. I'm going for a purpose so must treat each as such.

Like Jason said it will be fun to get some involved in the forum to make a nice piece of material as well as how a species reacts around the nation or world for that matter. There are more painless methods for these radical chops like chopping for a two year process and being safe. I'm a rebel, so there you go.

 

[pjkatich]

Oh trust me Paul, I will be on pins and needles for a couple months to see if anything pops. If it does I will have something. If it doesn't I had nothing before so I would still have nothing. Forgive me I look at trees a little differently than most do. Unless it is ready for a show pot it is nothing, though to some it may still be something because it is living and therefore could be something else less radical. I'm going for a purpose so must treat each as such.

Like Jason said it will be fun to get some involved in the forum to make a nice piece of material as well as how a species reacts around the nation or world for that matter. There are more painless methods for these radical chops like chopping for a two year process and being safe. I'm a rebel, so there you go.

Al,

I think there may be a misunderstanding of my original question.

"Is this going to be a comparison of how the growing techniques for trident maples that you are sharing with us work in different areas of the country or is it a comparison of how people in different areas of the country grow trident maples?"

Your answer to this question will dictate which of my trident stock gets used and how I would proceed with this project.

If you answer yes to the first half of the question, I will pick the appropriate stock and present it for review and discussion. Under this scenario, I would be trying to emulate your methods as close as possible to produce a similar style of trident for comparison purposes. During this process (in my thread), I would be the follower and would hope that you (and the others) would act as consultant as the project moved forward. I like what you have posted in your other threads. I feel your methods would suite several of my lame duck tridents. I have never attempted to grow a trident in the style you are trying to achieve or with the methods that you employ. I think this would be a great way to proceed.

However, if your answer is yes to the second half of the question, then once again I will pick the appropriate stock and present if for discussion. Under this scenario, I would be showing you my method of development for a completely different style of trident maple. During this process (in my thread), I would be the leader and I would hope that you (and the others) would follow along, providing feedback and asking questions on what I am doing.

Al, your outlook on bonsai is not that much different than mine. That is why I decided to jump on this crazy train in the first place.

So, I am willing to participate under either scenario. Or, if you like under both.

So Head Kahuuna, what's your pleasure?

Cheers,
Paul

 

[bwaynef]

Who'd be interested in resurrecting this idea? Would anyone want to join a '24 BonsaiNut Maple Project? There were some pretty awesome trees created. Some canonical threads too.

Search results for query: bonsainut maple

The most popular Bonsai Community in the WORLD!

www.bonsainut.com

 

[pandacular]

Thanks for brining this tread to my attention. My favorite thing on this site are long running threads. I think contests do this fairly well, but I like the idea of an un-contest—same starting “rules” for projects, bur no end and no winner, just a long trip.

edited to add: here’s a more advanced search to make it easier to find some of the more active, long running threads

https://www.bonsainut.com/search/81...[min_reply_count]=2&c[title_only]=1&o=replies

 

[leatherback]

this idea

Not sure what you mean with this idea? All starting a maple bonsai?

I happened to have lugged in a neglected big little princess from a garden centre this weekend and could make a thread at some point. But.. Not sure what you had in mind.

 

[bwaynef]

Not sure what you mean with this idea?

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/t...05380:~:text=Add bookmark-,#1,-Lets all start <-- The first post in this thread. Al's idea, 14 years ago.

 

[bwaynef]

Here's a straggler that doesn't show up in the above searches: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/2010-bonsainut-trident-project.3287/.

Read thru the threads in the searches panda & I posted to get an idea of what the idea is.

 

[misfit11]

I like this idea as well. I have a few Tridents in the ground that I've been growing for a few years now. Long term threads are extremely valuable IMO. Although, it looks like @Brian Van Fleet is the only member that was involved in the first iteration of this that still exists on the forum.