32 year old Acer Rubrum

If you going to chop the apex lower to where Gabler suggested, that would mean you have to cut back all the lower branches for the tree to look proportional? That would mean most of your ramifications would have to be removed. Not so sure that is a good direction for this.
 
If you going to chop the apex lower to where Gabler suggested, that would mean you have to cut back all the lower branches for the tree to look proportional? That would mean most of your ramifications would have to be removed. Not so sure that is a good direction for this.

This is Acer rubrum we're talking about. If you blink, the branches will outgrow the trunk. Regrowing the apex isn't a ridiculous idea if the end result is a better apex.
 
This is Acer rubrum we're talking about. If you blink, the branches will outgrow the trunk. Regrowing the apex isn't a ridiculous idea if the end result is a better apex.
Am referring to all the lower branches that will need to move closer to the trunk for the tree to look good.
 
It really would. Any chance you want to start that? I love this tree and my questions basically all relate to this point.
Seems like one has already been started.
 
This was a fairly hard cut back of the roots. Probably took more off the top of the root ball than the bottom, exposing more of the nebari. More work to do but it needs some recuperation. Cleaned a lot of algae off the trunk.

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This was a fairly hard cut back of the roots. Probably took more off the top of the root ball than the bottom, exposing more of the nebari. More work to do but it needs some recuperation. Cleaned a lot of algae off the trunk.

View attachment 587134
I really believe this is the nicest acer rubrum I have ever seen as bonsai. Was this tree mainly developed in a small pot? I have some red maple projects and have noticed through the years that they fatten extremely quickly. I'm looking for ways to really slow them down.
 
I really believe this is the nicest acer rubrum I have ever seen as bonsai. Was this tree mainly developed in a small pot? I have some red maple projects and have noticed through the years that they fatten extremely quickly. I'm looking for ways to really slow them down.
I think the smallest pot it was ever in was maybe 16", currently 22". Try defoliation. You may want to read the whole thread.
 
This was a fairly hard cut back of the roots. Probably took more off the top of the root ball than the bottom, exposing more of the nebari. More work to do but it needs some recuperation. Cleaned a lot of algae off the trunk.

View attachment 587134

This tree is a stunner everytime I see it. I hope to one day see it in person, honestly, because its my favorite tree on this site ir at worst, top-3. Everyone should be messing with these.
 
What is this looking like now? Id love to see it with the spring flush before the leaves get to normal size.
i imagine its still dormant, red maples in the mountains of nc are just now waking up, the two in my garden have swollen buds and are usually the last thing to pop with all my other natives like hornbeam and winged elm
 
Very possible. If thats the case, at least AB can catch it in that perfect moment for us when it does flush out.
 
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