3 yr old A.s. Autumn Moon

[Japonicus]

Got this one from Brent at EGGW June 2018 pictured below on left 9/25/2018


The soil it was in in a more shallow grow box held too much moisture with some 8822 DE in it
The bottom rotted out over the Winter, so today I made a new grow box out of some left over Amendoim flooring
and repotted it.



used 3 coax cable staples to fasten to a round bit of 3/4" plywood.
Trimmed the roots a tad after pic was taken and secured to the bottom of the box.






I really don't know when to tackle this mess of branches. I would like to keep all for now to promote more strength.
These are pretty slow growing even in the ground, so the more foliage the better for now right?

Could use some pointers on whether to remove the tallest most thick portion in this pic ^ just inside the green shoot or not
since I'm wanting to have an 18-22" tree especially with the leaf size/proportion.
Palmatum I'd have no issue removing it now, but the growth rate has me more cautious.

Check out the short internodes at the top

 

[leatherback]

These are pretty slow growing even in the ground, so the more foliage the better for now right?

Do you intent to keep any of the branches there? It will become an ugly bulge unless you reduce to a single bifurbication.

 

[Japonicus]

Do you intent to keep any of the branches there? It will become an ugly bulge unless you reduce to a single bifurbication.

Sure, but the more I reduce that top down now, the less foliage for recovery.
With palmatums that would replace in a year easily, these not so much.
I need to bring it in tomorrow and get better pictures before I water it.
There's too much confusing background noise going on in these pictures.
I just watered it in again or I'd do that now.


I think per your comment I maybe should or could reduce here now ^ at the red lines.
The green line is what I would remove if it were a palmatum which is the current top.

Plan b.
Remove the top (green line) keep right red line intact wiring one of the side branches up for a top.
I do like the 1st branch on the right.

Plan c. Cut above the green line maybe 2 or 3 inches for new top and make both red line cuts.

Let's see what better pictures show tomorrow. It is an ugly scenario currently I know.
Thanks I'm just not sure what I should do with so little vigour.

 

[leatherback]

Hard to tell with no tree in front of me.

I would probably look into the option of doing this:


I probably saw it wrong but.. Did you nail the roots to the board and then plant the board at an angle? Seems odd; Do you want to tree to slant, or be upright? In the end, the board should reflect the future nebari..

 

[Japonicus]

I would probably look into the option of doing this:

Yes that's the plan c mentioned above
and when viewing from the opposite side looks best suited for what is there.
It puts the most movement in the trunk with what's there.
I would however approach that plan keeping the current top for growth of the trunk
and removing the shorter centre straight up shoot. Almost did that yesterday after posting this
as it will not affect the amount of energy by any amount really.

Nebari, crap, I thought about that, you saw it the way you said it.
So should I undo it and make a straight trunk, straight nebari?
It's a tall straight trunk, but if the nebari at an angle is ruining this project...
Thanks for the input, I'm at my worst and least confident with deciduous trees in pots

 

[leatherback]

So should I undo it and make a straight trunk, straight nebari?

you can have a slanted trunk. Not sure how to put it.

IF you want it slanted AND you plant it at the angle you later want it in the pot.. Then the board needs to be horizontal.

 

[AlainK]

Nice tree, and the graft union is almost insisible, a neatly done job.

I've never tried shirasawanum as bonsai but my avatar picture is shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' in spring, one of my favourite potted trees.

 

[Japonicus]

you later want it in the pot.. Then the board needs to be horizontal.

Do you mean now make it horizontal so it will fit in a more shallow pot later, or
later, I need to make the board/nebari horizontal? Sorry for the confusion.

I took a couple pics today after removing the central stub I had previously left, and one side shoot...



back side

This is the angle or lack thereof that the trunk would be to make the board/nebari level.
To correct it now would just mean having to replace the aluminum wire tie downs to/through the bottom of the box.

Nice tree, and the graft union is almost insisible, a neatly done job.

I've never tried shirasawanum as bonsai but my avatar picture is shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' in spring, one of my favourite potted trees.

Thank you but I'm pretty sure Brent sold it as - on its' own roots from EGGW.
So it is even slower at producing a hardy root system.

need Preparation tips for lifting/collecting a landscape Shirasawanum Autumn Moon

I don't want to screw this one up! 10 years ago... ...the high graft broke soon after planting in the ground. Purchased from and grafted by Lucile Whitman of Whitman Farms, whom I also got my japonicum Otaki from, she talked me through how to repair the break. So this is a year ago come...

www.bonsainut.com

This one ^ is grafted to unknown rootstock, and endures full Sun, so the Spring colour far outweighs its' Autumn colour...in my yard.
It's been in ground 11 years and not 5' tall yet. 4' x 4' would be a viable estimate or 1 meter in 8 yrs. This backs up all claims to the lack of vigour
and why I struggle with making radical adjustments as compared to palmatums. I like that the trunk is not green like palmatums.

 

[AlainK]

the Spring colour far outweighs its' Autumn colour.

Yes, that's also what I think...

 

[Japonicus]

May 5th

then today

It lives. I've lost none of my deciduous trees this year. Slow growing as it is, I still love this little tree.

 

[AlainK]

Too difficult for me to make it a bonsai, so I just keep it in a pot, and repot it when necessary. It's a beautiful maple, I understand one wants to make it a bonsai, but that's too much a challenge to me



Two seedlings from this tree, one with large leaves, the other one that could be a hybrid, I have a big palmatum nearby :

 

[Japonicus]

I wasn't happy with the soil not drying enough between waterings
so I changed out the soil today leaving the securing apparatus in place.
I'm sure there was a % of 8822 DE causing the issue, so I blended
my conifer blend with 25% pine bark. Hopefully that will get me to a ceramic pot next time.


Hopefully I did not supersede the potting window.