Ideas for this sad looking 'Beni-Otake' Japanese Maple

[mthelm85]

I picked this tree up today in the discount section of a local Japanese maple retailer. This is by far the biggest nursery stock I've tried to work on to date, so I'm looking for some advice. Some questions I have are:

• Is there any reason this particular variety wouldn't make a good bonsai?
• It appears to me that the leaves are sunburned but, other than that, my novice eye doesn't see anything seriously wrong with the tree. Anyone else seeing anything different?
• When should I make the big chop to bring it down to bonsai size? I'm in Zone 9a (western Washington state). Should I wait until next season to do this when the tree is healthier?
• Should I consider air layering instead of chopping the trunk?

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

should definitely wait to do any chopping or layering. you wanna do that when the tree is getting ready to spend some time growing so it can recover relatively quickly, if you were to chop now the tree would be going into winter with fresh wounds.

 

[Shibui]

Agree that the problem is burnt leaves and that's quite normal for Fall. The tree appears to be healthy otherwise.
I'm not familiar with Beni Otake but most of the red leaf cultivars have larger leaf size, longer internodes and strong growth which makes it more difficult to tame them as bonsai. I'd probably aim for larger size rather than smaller.
I would not chop this time of year. When I have done Fall chop to JM they often shoot then those shoots don't mature in time to go dormant for winter. Maybe that won't matter in 9A. Mine just had leaves all winter then shot new ones in spring then went back to normal cycles - zone 9B? I don't think a chop now will achieve more than doing the same chop later so I'd wait till late winter or spring.

Consider layers carefully. Layering will delay your plans for around 6 months, maybe a whole year and what do you achieve?
The trunks and branches I see have no taper or really attractive shape so converting any layer into bonsai will take many years. If there was a great branch or trunk I'd say yes but I can't see that here. If you just want another Beni Okame then layer, otherwise just go right to the chop.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Any updates on this one? Beni Otake is one of my favorite cultivars. They grow from cuttings very easy and I'd bet they grow from air layers easy.
My thoughts on air-layers. How valuable is the wood? Looks like 10 years old and a cultivar. Is it a cultivar that should air-layer easy? Although red leaved cultivars are notorious, I'd bet Beni Otake is one that does.

 

[mthelm85]

Any updates on this one? Beni Otake is one of my favorite cultivars. They grow from cuttings very easy and I'd bet they grow from air layers easy.
My thoughts on air-layers. How valuable is the wood? Looks like 10 years old and a cultivar. Is it a cultivar that should air-layer easy? Although red leaved cultivars are notorious, I'd bet Beni Otake is one that does.

Hey there! It seems to be coming along okay. I decided to go ahead and just make a big chop (not too long after my original post) rather than attempting to air layer it. I know this picture isn't the greatest, but I wanted to provide you with a quick look at the tree. All season it's been pushing a lot of new branches from below the chop site and I've already taken several of those off that I knew for sure I didn't want to keep. The top I've just let grow without touching it because I want to fatten up the branch that will be the new trunk line. I've been fertilizing it quite heavily and it's been producing a lot of fat and even green-colored leaves. I'm not sure if that's a result of the heavy fertilization, or if that's just normal for this species. I'm going for a large size, per Shibui's recommendation above.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

The green is common in the shade and as summer rolls on. I love it that some maples can have 4 seasons of interest. Spring color, summer color, fall color, and leafless winter silhouette. I have great interest in Beni Otake because of the vigor, color, and leaf shape. I have way to many cultivars and nothing too cool yet as everything I have is still in the grow out phase. Beni Otake has been easy for me to propagate by cuttings and it grows on its own roots, so I'm very excited to see where these may head in the coming years.

 

[mthelm85]

It certainly is a beautiful - and I think very elegant-looking - variety. Good luck to you with yours, and may they turn into great bonsai!