Kiyohime Maple - care and suggestions for styling

[erb.75]

Recently, I aquired a nice little kiyohime maple. I repotted it back in May because it's soil wasn't a bonsai mix and there were some little white bugs crawling on it. The bugs are gone now (thank goodness!). When I got the tree, the leaves were totally green with reddish tips. Now, some of the leaves have a brown spot in the middle, and the tree hasn't grown all summer. I know this is a slow growing variety, and it's a delicate tree, but I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for getting better growth. I think it probably needs to be in a training box next year (I put it in a bonsai pot right away, but I should have put it in a training pot).

I have only seen them styled as brooms. Has anyone ever done other styles with the cultivar? Here are some pictures of my tree. I am not sure what I want to do with it. I could trunk chop it and have a nice short little shohin broom (The inspiration for me getting this tree was the little shohin at the national arboretum in DC). Would it be a fool's errand to make this a fairly straight informal upright?

Any comments appreciated! Pictures soon to follow

 

[erb.75]

I did some initial trimming up top after I trimmed the roots upon repotting. Mostly removing branches that would not work with any style I could imagine, or had scars on them.

 

[erb.75]

newer pictures

 

[augustine]

The tree may have been weakened by a repot in may. Kiyo hime comes into leaf early, first of march in my area. Good time to repot is right before the buds open.

I would not stress the tree with any more work this season. Let it fully leaf out next year and gain some strength.

In ref to the condition of the leaf looks like a bit of leafspot and/or just typical beat up late in the season appearance of j maples.

It would be helpful if your location was in the profile.

Best,

Augustine

 

[erb.75]

so you'd recommend not repotting next season and just letting it grow? thanks for the reply!

 

[vaibatron]

I probably would have done a serious chop. The branching seems much too leggy and a new apex is def in order. However since you have already repotted I would agree with Augustine and leave it for a full year to gain its strength. On another note, keep it out of the afternoon sun or the leaves will continue to wilt.

 

[Txhorticulture]

My two cents

If it is potted in a coarse mix it wouldn't be too much stress to delicately lift it and set it in a larger container with a more water retentive mix. Not surprised it all it didn't grow during the summer after repot, especially with all the exposed roots. Japanese maples are actually pretty tough trees, but thrifty.

In my zone they grow in spring, early summer, little or not at all during the hottest time of year, and then sometimes a little push in late summer early fall.

Root work of any container tree will halt top growth. But this is all ok. It is alive and since it's not growing on top you can be sure its using energy to recover and grow roots.

 

[M. Frary]

Just leave it alone until spring. Give it proper winter protection this year and then in the spring put it into a grow box or collander. That's the proper time to fool with roots and do major cutting. If you go fooling around with roots now there is a chance you could kill it. I know some say you can repot in fall but why risk it.
As for styling I like larger trees so I would let it grow wild next year and see how well it did. And then the next year maybe chop if that's what's needed.
These little guys aren't supposed to be as vigorous as the big ones so maybe taking time and getting to know the tree and it's growth habits and rates will help.

 

[erb.75]

thanks fpr all the suggestions!

 

[erb.75]

will post updates when the leaves come out...i think i'll just let it go wild this year and get vigorous to make sure I know to keep the plant growing strongly and understand what it likes. It has buds on it now and has resisted springtime thus far!

 

[erb.75]

no guts, no F'ing glory

 

[johng]

hmmmm....glory??? What is good for the species not always so much for the cultivars. Kiyohime is perhaps my favorite variety of J. maple but also by far the most difficult to grow well.

Personally, I would never chop a kiyohime like this...kotohime, sure, but not kiyo. Too much of a sissy cultivar in my garden....a very apex deficient variety...known for the tops dying and not being able to regrow.... Check out Bill V's Kiyohimes...small trees and semi-cascades...hmmm, I wonder why???

Perhaps...a couple of those folks that told you to chop it will show you the results of their efforts with kiyohime chops?? This is what sucks about asking for advice on a forum of ......

Hate to be a downer, by the dates on this thread it looks like you have been very patient. From this point I might just shoot for a very small tree and hope for the best.

 

[erb.75]

johng,
I am aiming for a very small tree. you don't think it'll survive a trunk chop?

 

[petegreg]

For this intention and a target size I think the best you could do is chopping this way, but the lowest branch was removed first... Planning... take a measure twice and cut once! In better case it'll regrow.

 

[erb.75]

believe me, I wish i had that lower branch still...when I moved 2 years ago it broke off...those brittle kiyohime branches

 

[erb.75]

i got this from the meehans, and one option they proposed is to chop low. I thought about thickening the trunk, but I am a shohin bonsai guy at heart I think

 

[petegreg]

Yeah, I think I've got a shohin in my heart too... but due to restricted space on my balconies. Chopped some of my trees, have some chuhins and a few taller trees... and some in my mother's garden for better times.

Now your maple will need much less water, till it sprouts again.

 

[JoeR]

That was a ballsy move.


I wish I had cut my kotohime down more... I think it would have saved me some time. I had no idea when I bought ut they could handle chops well, I thought that most all cultivars were weaker and couldnt handle chops like the standard cultivar.


Oh well. Next year.

 

[AlainK]

Though this is not a 'Kyohime' but a 'Phoenix', both cultivars have short internodes, I think they canbe worked in a similar way.

I'm trying to make a "Mame" from this one I got from a garden centre:

2008:

2013, ugh!... Needs another option:

June 2015:

14 April 2016:

I think reducing such a tree as yours means working step by step, and once it begins to be a "small" tree, a healthy soil, but no fertilizer except in late summer, early autumn. I'm just experimenting, so all other opinions are welcome.

 

[erb.75]

Though this is not a 'Kyohime' but a 'Phoenix', both cultivars have short internodes, I think they canbe worked in a similar way.

I'm trying to make a "Mame" from this one I got from a garden centre:

2008:

2013, ugh!... Needs another option:

June 2015:

14 April 2016:

I think reducing such a tree as yours means working step by step, and once it begins to be a "small" tree, a healthy soil, but no fertilizer except in late summer, early autumn. I'm just experimenting, so all other opinions are welcome.

nice little tree!