Trident maples, a chronical

[Bill S]

want some of the lost inf

Cool down to splitting a couple of hairs, at least we can agree about the article being well done, and needed.

Al, I have some of your stuff that I copied and pasted into WORD, PM if you would like, I can go thru my library, and send you the files.

 

[Chris Johnston]

All these have great trunks and good possibilities, but they all seem to lack any decent, balanced nebari, as shown. Do you have the nebari buried at this time or are the photos just not showing it? If the nebari still needs to be developed, do you think the bonsai pot environment is the best place to do so?
Will

The first job of growing trees for bonsai is growing trunks. The soul of the tree is in its trunk. Nebari can be developed in short order (relatively speaking) but a thin or uninteresting trunk may never be overcome. Al has shown us a great tutorial for growing trunks, and the first steps toward providing a good nebari. These trunk bases will flare surprisingly quickly as the roots develop, and in the pot is the best place for that since the trunk is where he wants it and he wants to control growth more carefully for branch and root development.

The most common beginner mistake is to take a stick and put it in a pot, then show it. The second most common beginner mistake is to try to grow good tight roots and branch ramification in the ground or a too-big pot. Proper work in the proper place will speed up development significantly.

 

[Smoke]

Ok so the third one. Today I repotted it and prepared it for the next couple years growth. After I took it out of the pot I could see that it had a good root spread around the entire trunk. This was the results of the ground layer three years ago and the repot two years ago after removal of the terrible root ball.

 

[Smoke]

All the long roots were pruned back. The roots had turned down somewhat and the turned down ends were taken back to the last root closest to the stump. As of this writing I am not quite sure how tall a tree this will end up. I know at this time to get the top I want will require some additional height. I suspect it will be a Kifu sized tree around twelve inches tall. Still a nice size bonsai with a good sized trunk. It should finish out at twelve inches tall with a 6 inch base at the soil. 50 percent wide as it is tall, still a good sized sumo.

The tape shows the size of the base while the last photo shows the height. At just 6 inches tall so far it is indeed sumo proportions.

 

[Smoke]

The tree is planted out into a 10 gallon nursery container that has been cut down to about 3.5 inches tall. Inside that I have wired together some strips of plastic stichery canvas into a circle about two inches smaller than the container. It is placed into the cut down nursery can and then the "basket" is filled with soil. The soil keeps the sides upright and the weight alone will keep it in the nursery can. I have a 1 inch air gap all the way around the can now which will serve to air prune the roots as a colander would. I also have the advantage of having the black nursery can to attract heat to the roots, as well as having a more substantial container to move around. After about 6 months in our heat I have noticed the colanders will get brittle and fall apart. This should stop that.

The tree is planted on top of 3/8 size soil and is topped over the feeder roots with shohin size soil. This smaller soil allows me to make sure I have enough material among the roots while having a large soil underneath for better air flow with my "air pot". (you heard that here first)

This year will be spent developing the new leaders on each trunk. I have the buds in the right places and this will be a grow out year. Pinching and pruneing to maintain shape of those branches that I do have will be kept in check. First branches on each trunk will be allowed to grow and thicken. This tree has been allowed to grow out just a little differently than the other two. I ground layered this tree a year before the other two in an attempt to see which would develop faster. It is clear that a better engine underneath will build a better larger tree faster as seen here.

OK on to step four....

 

[Smoke]

OK step four is the new tree.

This trunk has been layered three years ago. It has been repotted after removal of the bad root ball into a growing container. The container was just a cut down five gallon nursery container.

 

[Smoke]

The tree developed good roots all around the trunk. Fairly thick at this point and ready to be cut back.

 

[Smoke]

The roots were cut back to the last feeder root on each large root. They will be cut back again in three years when it is repotted again after the trunk has undergone the thickening process and developed it's taper.

It will also be noted that the stub from the trunk when it was cut from the root ball can be seen protrudeing from the root base. This can be severed off now.

After pruning of the roots and removeing the stub I can concentrate on where to chop this bugger. Since the angle of the trunk can be seen in comparison to the root angle, I decide to chop the trunk in the opposite direction to give the trunk a change of direction and more dynamism. Further directional changes will be made in the same way as I did on the first three.

Chop point is sawn into the trunk as a line to follow while band sawing the trunk to that level.

 

[Smoke]

Chop is now complete and now the tree can be planted up for grow out.

The tree was planted in the same soil as the double trunk with larger coarse soil underneath and finer soil covering the root hairs and small roots. The larger part of the roots is left open and exposed to deveolp bark and patina like the rest of these tridents.

The top of the chop has been treated with cat paste. I did this because I have no living branch on top as I left on the first three I did. I need this top to stay wet and intact without drying out or else it will not bud. The paste has been rolled right down to the cambium and rolled over the edge and sealed there.

Since bonsaiTALK has been down and not coming back for some time if at all, I will chronicle the progress of growing out this trunk and the thickening process here in real time. This year the tree will be allowed to sucker from the chop and base and next spring we will pick back up here.

See ya back here in about May to see if I have a living sprouting base!

Happy New Year, Al

 

[Chris Johnston]

Why do I always see another page listed but no other posts?

 

[Smoke]

Why do I always see another page listed but no other posts?

Go to user cp, choose edit options, change posts per page to 40. That will go away, plus you don't have to change pages so often!

 

[grouper52]

Fascinating thread, Al. And interesting technique with the "air pot". Thanks for all this.

 

[Tachigi]

The tree is planted out into a 10 gallon nursery container that has been cut down to about 3.5 inches tall. Inside that I have wired together some strips of plastic stichery canvas into a circle about two inches smaller than the container. It is placed into the cut down nursery can and then the "basket" is filled with soil. The soil keeps the sides upright and the weight alone will keep it in the nursery can. I have a 1 inch air gap all the way around the can now which will serve to air prune the roots as a colander would. I also have the advantage of having the black nursery can to attract heat to the roots, as well as having a more substantial container to move around. After about 6 months in our heat I have noticed the colanders will get brittle and fall apart. This should stop that.

Hi Al,
Been following this thread and enjoying it. However, I'm curious did you have a change of heart about air pruning roots?

The trees never saw the ground nor were they grown in colondars. I feel there is absolutely no need for all these gimmick type items and while some may have good luck with them I have done fine with black plastic pots.

 

[Smoke]

Hi Al,
Been following this thread and enjoying it. However, I'm curious did you have a change of heart about air pruning roots?

Not sure yet.

In 2000, Fred Miyahara from San Diego brought over Tomohiro Masumi of Koju-en shohin nursery and he traveled California. Tomohiro is well known for his driftwood style shimpaku's and also his deciduous trees. During his travel here and thru the translator he talked of developing material in colanders. While I have no idea how long they had been useing them in Japan it was new business here in the states. After his visit everyone clamored for anything that would work as a basket. Pond baskets 10 years ago were around but were very expensive. Dollar stores were not very plentiful either guiding the way with cheap colanders. I did buy a few and while I was privy to the ways of Jim Gremels yamadori style juniper design, all of my tries had died slow deaths. I think mostly I had seperated the cambium from the trunk and killed the tree.


While most that do this type of thing may bend and twist hundreds of plants, I was only doing one or two. My ratio was not to good. Even if I had a 50 percent live ratio, 50 would be better than one. The rage of course was to plant them out in the colander and expect this huge growth spurt in mathchstick twisted cutting to driftwood masterpiece in 5 years. Hah! I didn't even get one to live. I do remember from my experiences with colanders, at least the cheap ones from the dollar store, that they broke down pretty fast in the sun and would crumble when tried to be picked up.


During this time my desire to grow diciduous trees was not very well developed. I was still a juniper lover and thought that junipers were Gods gift to bonsai. It was not untill 2001 that I would embark on a love of trident maple that would forever keep me in the ranks of decidophile forever. Not to mention hackberry, elm, hornbeam and many others.

When I embarked on this journey to own and also create my own fat trident, it never occured to me to grow it in a colander. I had so much success so fast that I couldn't see why I would need to go back to a method that didn't seem to add any improvement.


So in an effort to be fair I am trying a couple this time around to see what results I get. I know what can be expected in three to four years growth without them and am looking forward to even faster growth with the aforementioned "holy"grail of bonsai growing. ( pun intended )

I am an advocate of corase soil mix for increased air circulation around the root hairs. If this air layer works like it should it should be a supercharger to root growth with my coarse soil.

Time will tell, Al

 

[Smoke]

BTW.....

Anyone out there want to do one with me?

I think it would be a hoot to compare these trees together while we go thru the process. What have you got to lose, except time in making one if you don't do it now!

 

[JasonG]

BTW.....

Anyone out there want to do one with me?

I think it would be a hoot to compare these trees together while we go thru the process. What have you got to lose, except time in making one if you don't do it now!

YES!! I will embark on it with you. I will do it a bit differently though. I will use an Anderson falt and plant in 100% unsifted pumice. I will probably put the flat on the ground so that it works as the escape method as well. I have done this with Tridents in the past and the amount of fine feeder roots in a very short period of time is something that would blow ones mind.

I have access to some whips that have been through the "Washer" treatment and already have perfect 360 degree roots to start with.

I am game to do this with ya!

Jason

 

[Smoke]

That would be fantastic as I would like to see these other methods also. I have always been a little bit wary of the ground here. I know you have a little milder climate than I do. I may get too much growth in the ground and lose it.

 

[garywood]

Hey Guys, can I play? Wood

 

[Smoke]

That would be great Gary. You Telperion people always make some great material. Maybe when I get mine done I can get a new pot for this one. Your pots are the bomb.

See you at Shohin?

 

[Tachigi]

I'm in as well Al, though I won't be able to get it going till late March at earliest. Seems you have a strong left coast contingent, so a right coast representation seems logical

I'll be basically doing both versions yours and Jason's. Each has its merits and disadvantages, at least here in the territories of the arctic tundra.