32 year old Acer Rubrum

[ABCarve]

This tree has appeared in some other threads but I thought it deserving of it own. This was the first tree I ever collected (1987-1988) and it was out of my own woods. It was stumped a few inches above the ground line and then let grow for a season to recover as well as it could. The following spring it was dug and put in a pot. Sorry I don't have photos of those years before 2014. Back then I thought photo documentation was a waste of time. Mostly because of film being a PITA. Hmmmmm??
My intent was to mimic a red maple growing in a cow pasture near me whose trunk had mostly rotted away with only a single lower branch keeping it alive. It has since fallen to the wayside. So once put in a pot I proceeded to completely carve a hollow on one side of trunk almost entirely to the living cadmium on the other side. Little did I know of the trees healing power. Since then the wound has just about completely healed. The close up shows the zipper line left from healing over. Inside that wound is cut putty, gorilla glue and maybe a pair of scissors I've been looking for.
One photo is from May 4, 2014 just leafing out and the other close up is current.

 

[just.wing.it]

And the whole tree today?
Looks cool!
Hope I can make something of my Rubrum some day.

 

[penumbra]

Pretty amazing. Who would have thought you could get that out of an Acer rubrum?
I hope the are not expensive scissors.

 

[ABCarve]

These photos demonstrate the technique I use for leaf reduction. As you can see the new leaves are huge and shading the inner growth. Once the leaves have barely hardened off I defoliate the largest outer leaves shading the inner growth a few per day. You can see the petioles hanging off. This goes on until mid-July. There is a constant falling of petioles on the bench. These are from 2016.

 

[ABCarve]

This photo was from Aug 7, 2017......the following year. It has had a full season of incremental defoliation.

 

[ABCarve]

July 19 , 2019 and Oct 23, 2019. A vigorous grower!!!

 

[Grovic]

These photos demonstrate the technique I use for leaf reduction. As you can see the new leaves are huge and shading the inner growth. Once the leaves have barely hardened off I defoliate the largest outer leaves shading the inner growth a few per day. You can see the petioles hanging off. This goes on until mid-July. There is a constant falling of petioles on the bench. These are from 2016.

So you start every season with huge leaves? or do they come out smaller the next year?

 

[ABCarve]

So you start every season with huge leaves? or do they come out smaller the next year?

Every season they're huge!

 

[Grovic]

Every season they're huge!

Nice! Awesome example of great things that can be accomplished with dedication, I love the tree.

 

[ABCarve]

As the tree develops the nodes become shorter and shorter. For the most part the first node is always the shortest.

 

[Norcalkbonsai]

Beautiful tree. That last fall picture I love

 

[ABCarve]

They do bloom. Although not as impressive as in the ground.

 

[ABCarve]

When this was dug the bark was smooth and dirty gray. The carved side was once the front of the tree but has now been flipped.

 

[ABCarve]

So this is an early grower and ready for a repot. In another life I was a woodcarver with a woodcarving bench. Clamping a few sticks to the bench make a wonderful tool for working on the bottom of the tree. Gravity boots!! Can you notice where the holes in the pot show in the root ball?

 

[ABCarve]

A small mound of Growstone is put over the holes keep the roots from growing into the holes and clogging the drainage.

 

[0soyoung]

Cleaver thing with the sticks @ABCarve.

This tree just makes me think about what happens when one doesn't listen.
Didn't you hear that you cannot do this (make a bonsai of a. rubrum)?

Thanks for telling us (me!) of your technique.

You've made a beautiful tree, indeed.

 

[MACH5]

Lovely maple!! Well done!

 

[GGB]

A native maple!! Was just looking at a great loblolly pine on here the other day. Love seeing these natives done well. I will be keeping my eyes open for a decent stump knowing that leaf reduction technique

 

[ABCarve]

Cleaver thing with the sticks @ABCarve.

This tree just makes me think about what happens when one doesn't listen.
Didn't you hear that you cannot do this (make a bonsai of a. rubrum)?

Thanks for telling us (me!) of your technique.

You've made a beautiful tree, indeed.

What’s funny about the technique is that it happened by accident. My garden is surrounded by red maples full of black tar spot fungus. The constant defoliation was a response by removing infected leaves. That along with vigilante spraying keeps it at bay.

 

[GGB]

@ABCarve driving to work today it dawned on me, that your maple had yellow fall color. As far as a i can remember ruburm turns a brilliant scarlet red (its namesake) around me. It might be the most beautiful tree in eastern PA in that season. Does yours typically show yellow coloring or is it red most years?