The 2010 BonsaiNut Maple Project

Shogun610

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This is a VERY nice trident. Any reasonable offer would have a comma in it.
It’s called a joke? Have you ever heard of one. It was part of a joke he made, and then I made a jokingly offer with the “😂” emoji which is usually how it’s done. Now run along.
 

james

Shohin
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Gotcha, I understand a joke.

Brian, if this is a tree you want to move, would be happy to discuss.
 

Shogun610

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While we’re here, this was from today. Just a little trimming back of the strong shoots. Most of the growing shoots are now 1-2 nodes long. Should leave plenty of pruning options in the fall.
View attachment 389809View attachment 389808
You and others on here are truly inspiring for newer generations of bonsai practitioners leaving big shoes to fill some day.
 

Scrogdor

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Things are starting to move around here, and the temps are forecast to stay above freezing for the foreseeable, so here is the next episode of the trident maple project; from 16' to 7"...
Hey Brian, this was seriously an awesome journey to read through. I'm pretty new to bonsai, did you look for any nodes or branches to decide where to make that specific chop?
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Hey Brian, this was seriously an awesome journey to read through. I'm pretty new to bonsai, did you look for any nodes or branches to decide where to make that specific chop?
Yes, the one circled in blue. I got lucky and got one at the green arrow too, which helped close the chop wound a little faster.
F187620D-BDBE-4FFF-AC12-5E082FE0C622.jpeg
 

Brian Van Fleet

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It is a nice trident buuut.. How are you dealing with the slight bulging starting to take place in the upper half of the trunk?
The top is a bit congested and it will require some pruning and then some scar-healing. The photo makes it worse due to the shape of the trunk; it moves sharply forward in that area as well. A planting angle change may also be helpful. Here is a compilation of photos showing a 360 degree view of the tree.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Here is the problem area, up close.
4360811A-AE7E-4076-AA52-A79AA4B03210.jpeg54E78878-13B4-4348-803B-5E8B1CAE440B.jpeg

This branch wouldn’t be missed, and I can remove a couple others and smooth out the bulge.
F17B9386-9D0C-4FF5-9A7F-951529C8A3B7.jpeg9D6C00B9-ED47-4619-888A-A2B7F484B169.jpeg

I don’t want to get too carried away, so I stopped here and took some photos.
8FA10083-F7A9-4E78-86C6-D41A42BF76F1.jpeg
One conclusion is that the trunk line will improve if it allowed to get taller, I believe. Another is that some primary branch selection in that upper third is probably due.
 

C-Jewel

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Probably not, but it’s tricky to make branch selection on a flat image. Some of those actually move toward the back.
Really waiting for the next update! I have an A.P. Grown from seed, 1 year in pot then 5 years in the ground then I dug up in February 2020 to start the journey.
Literally chopped almost every root off and screwed to a board and put in Anderson flat. I’ll be pulling it out soon to check out the roots, make adjustments and start cutting for taper….

Without this thread I wouldn’t know what to do, I’ll tag you on the update. May need some advice on shoot selection. Some said it was a gonner;), but I stayed confident what I’ve learned over the last 6 years following you. thank you for your diligence and updated your work! You can’t find much online with progression of this.
Thank you 🙏🏻
 

rhuarc

Seedling
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I just spent over an hour going through all of these posts! For someone who is quite new to this world you are truly inspirational.

Thank you for spending so much time documenting the life of this tree!
 

dbonsaiw

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Wow, what a great thread. Learned so much. The timeline of this project is still setting in.
 

Scrogdor

Chumono
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Fall '13 Update

Hard to believe that little side branch bolted the way it did this year. Will chop it short again in the spring.

Photos are from about May, August, and October...
Amazing work, the muscles on this tree! It looked like you had this branch picked out from the 2010 photos to be the new leader eventually. How short did you keep it while you were growing the other sections of the trunk? For my own understanding, what is the benefit of keeping the branch short/small rather than letting it get a head start before the big chop? Hope this question makes sense. Thank you, really glad I found this post!
 
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