Japanese Maple development

[DavideArisi]

Hello guys
I recently bought this maple.

the trunk is erect, it has no movement. therefore, since I cannot work on the trunk, I can work on its branches to give the plant a good shape and movement.
How would you set up the plant?

the canopy of the plant is good, but I'm evaluating whether it might be better to shorten it, trying to make it more compact.
at the time of purchase I was quite convinced that it would be enough to start working on the secondary branches to reach a good shape, then little by little doubts began and now I'm really confused about how to move forward.

what do you think? what can be done with this material?

Thank you
Davide

P.S. If you need more photos for clarity just ask

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Start here: what front shows the best base? Build the tree from the bottom up, find the front and post some pix showing the best front.

 

[Srt8madness]

You *could* air layer the top, and make the vertical branch on the left your new trunk. This would introduce movement and taper into your tree, IMO

 

[DavideArisi]

From both long sides the trunk appears completely linear.
from the short sides you can see more movement but have low larghe branches coming towards me.
I think this could be the front.

from this front the branch on the left seems too large at the end, perhaps even a little outside the figure




Also have this little branche coming towards



Davide

 

[Dan W.]

Hi Davide,
There's nothing wrong with having a tall maple like this. I think the structure looks nice enough to continue on with a taller tree if you want. Of course, if you prefer it to be shorter that's certainly an option as well.

Personally, what I would do to continue developing this tree (and this is entirely based on what I can see in the photo; it may be better than it looks) is to work on building a better base. I would consider ground layering just above the current base to create a radial root spread to develop a nice nebari and help to flair out the base of the tree a bit.

But there's absolutely nothing wrong with just continuing to develop this tree as is, if you're happy with it. Taller vs. shorter, these are preferences. There really is no right or wrong here. It's your tree, and the real questions are whether you're happy with it. -- You may consider things like proportion, balance, symmetry, asymmetry, elegance, ruggedness, and many others when approaching design. Stability is a big one, especially for a tall stately tree like this one is currently designed as. That's why I'd suggest starting with the base for continued development.

Forums are a great source of opinions... Take all of them and decide which ones resonate with you and your tree.

 

[Dan W.]

Apparently that took me a while to type up. I do like the added movement here, and the base is better than I thought. You may be able to get by with a few root grafts rather than layering.

 

[DavideArisi]

What do you think of the angle between the two main branches?


Do you think it is possible to achieve something similar?


However, I thought about it a bit and made a drawing of how I could develop the plant. the red line indicates a branch that I will have to graft (maybe two)

 

[UncannyMongoose]

I like the direction that you are thinking of, what did this tree cost if you don't mind me asking. Looking to pick up something about this size to develop.