Another day, Another Maple

[AlainK]

you need to let this grow for years (unrestricted both in root and leaf growth- like not prune for that time), apart from a root prune. Put it in grow box or ground, or you will still have a stick in a pot, as you get no girth in a bonsai pot.

Salut l'ami,
Maybe there are solutions that could possibly fit better in his environment.
From the photo he posted, I think that Silverio doesn't have much room to grow "big trees" .

@SilverioSan :

Keep it healthy, it's a nice tree.

Hard to give you much advice for I'm lucky enough to have a garden, and keepind a potted tree on a balcony must be a totally different thing.

But if you take good care of it, in time it will come a nice bonsai.

I'd say you must find "akadama", or a similar medium before you repot it : the best soil you can find that is adapted to various climates. 75 to 90% of a mix with any amount or combination of composted bark, pozzolane (good for the roots to divide), coarse sand, peat fibers, coffe dregs, old leather shoes, etc.

In a wider pot, you could use guy-wires to have the branches bend down in quite a natural way.

Anyway, whether conform to the standards or not, you will enjoy its colours, every day

 

[SilverioSan]

Hi. I just wanted to chip in and say there are several locations on your tree where you have junctions of 3 or more. If you " just sit back and let this guy run freely... " there will be problems ahead leading to inverse taper. I'd strongly advise removing these down to 2 (trunk counts as 1), especially in the mid section of the last large pic - post #17, where it appears there's 4 and the beginnings of adverse swelling.

Hi Paul thanks for your feedback is really much appreciated, I will have to go in and decide which branch to take out although I have already taken out one before that picture. What I am afraid of is having to much of empty space but I guess the inverse taper is more important for now. Thanks to pointing this out.

 

[SilverioSan]

Salut l'ami,
Maybe there are solutions that could possibly fit better in his environment.
From the photo he posted, I think that Silverio doesn't have much room to grow "big trees" .

@SilverioSan :

Keep it healthy, it's a nice tree.

Hard to give you much advice for I'm lucky enough to have a garden, and keepind a potted tree on a balcony must be a totally different thing.

But if you take good care of it, in time it will come a nice bonsai.

I'd say you must find "akadama", or a similar medium before you repot it : the best soil you can find that is adapted to various climates. 75 to 90% of a mix with any amount or combination of composted bark, pozzolane (good for the roots to divide), coarse sand, peat fibers, coffe dregs, old leather shoes, etc.

In a wider pot, you could use guy-wires to have the branches bend down in quite a natural way.

Anyway, whether conform to the standards or not, you will enjoy its colours, every day

@AlainK Thanks to having written to me every single comment is part of my journey. Yes, having trees on a balcony is a totally different experience. I am looking for a re-pott next year and I was considering to go with a Boon Mix, by that time I will have also time to build a grow box with unclaimed wood. I like also your ideas of soil mix I will have a deep look into that.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Salut l'ami,
Maybe there are solutions that could possibly fit better in his environment.
From the photo he posted, I think that Silverio doesn't have much room to grow "big trees" .

@SilverioSan :

Keep it healthy, it's a nice tree.

Hard to give you much advice for I'm lucky enough to have a garden, and keepind a potted tree on a balcony must be a totally different thing.

But if you take good care of it, in time it will come a nice bonsai.

I'd say you must find "akadama", or a similar medium before you repot it : the best soil you can find that is adapted to various climates. 75 to 90% of a mix with any amount or combination of composted bark, pozzolane (good for the roots to divide), coarse sand, peat fibers, coffe dregs, old leather shoes, etc.

In a wider pot, you could use guy-wires to have the branches bend down in quite a natural way.

Anyway, whether conform to the standards or not, you will enjoy its colours, every day

Hi Alain and @SilverioSan
Yep, I totally missed the “balcony” picture. So yeah my advice was misguided. Sorry for that.
Good luck to the OP on this one, and enjoy your trees.
Charles

 

[Drew]

I'd also tie that pot down... once that top growth is full of leaves just a small amount of wind will blow it off that ledge you have it sat on.

 

[SilverioSan]

Summer 2019 Update - Sacrifice Beauty for Development

 

[Colorado Josh]

It wants to be air layered

 

[SilverioSan]

It wants to be air layered

I have actually thought about it, probably next spring.

 

[Potawatomi13]

WHAT "professional" opinion?

 

[SilverioSan]

WHAT "professional" opinion?

Go ahead!

 

[M. Frary]

Go ahead!

He has to go ask a professional first.
His opinions suck.

 

[SilverioSan]

Fall/Winter 2019 Update

this is my second year with this tree, the original pot broke in October and since was just half damaged and not in time for a repot I just took it all and placed in this bigger pot for the winter, repotting anyway is schedule before the next growing season.

I am amazed from the color that the leaves have this year.

 

[sorce]

color that the leaves

That's sweet.

Did you pop it in the fall color thread?

Should!

Dope.

Sorce

 

[SilverioSan]

That's sweet.

Did you pop it in the fall color thread?

Should!

Dope.

Sorce

Hi Sorce,
Thanks and No I didn't but I will do

 

[SilverioSan]

February 2020

The tree was due for a re-pot, a little work on the roots and a new haircut ... ready for the 2020 season where more development will continue to happen.

 

[Fan Tan Fannie]

HI, I noticed you did not have pumice in your soil mix for the recent repotting. Any reason why you did not add pumice? I use pumice in my mix but I am not fond of the white specks showing up on the surface. You have a lovely maple tree!

 

[SilverioSan]

HI, I noticed you did not have pumice in your soil mix for the recent repotting. Any reason why you did not add pumice? I use pumice in my mix but I am not fond of the white specks showing up on the surface. You have a lovely maple tree!

Hi and thanks for your comment. I have pumice but this time around I have added black lava mixed with Akadama on the bottom for better drainage and on top because I like the way it looks (it is just a 1/2 inch layer on top) .... in between this two layer I have an organic mix with pumice, barks, soil, lava rocks and Akadama.

 

[SilverioSan]

It is nice to come back here and update this post from time to time. My last update was over 2 years ago and I think the tree has done pretty well during this time, this season I decided to do some work on it, of course, I am not an expert but I have learned a lot reading on this group. Feedbacks are welcome!

 

[eugenev2]

It is nice to come back here and update this post from time to time. My last update was over 2 years ago and I think the tree has done pretty well during this time, this season I decided to do some work on it, of course, I am not an expert but I have learned a lot reading on this group. Feedbacks are welcome!

In my honest opinion the tree looks a bit too straight and up right and not a lot of movement. General consensus would be to cut it to about a 1/3rd of the height you want and then let a grow again for a number of years and then probably cut it down to 2/3rds the height. But i would probably airlayer it about at the halfway point, as that will keep some foliage down low increasing the succes rate of the layer and then you have two trees to grow out. It is possible to grow taper "naturally" the way you've been attempting to prune branches and redirect energy, but it wil honestly simply take too long to have a convincing tree

 

[clem]

hello, i would do clip&grow too

On the pic below, a possible "cut" could have been the red one, but the crown/apex of the branche has been cut, so you have no apex anymore to continue the trunk line.. So maybe cut on the green line, and wire the branche to create a continuity of the trunk line (new apex).
On the pic below the nebari (roots) seems fine and the new trunk line is on the side (clip&grow scar will be on the side not visible), so it is a good choice for a front, IMO.


you could choose to go for a slant style/literati, but a convincing/good literati needs to have a little more tapper on the trunk and a better trunk line imo

Good evolution on branches & cultivation anyway