Maple Beginner Tree

[young grasshopper]

Hello all,

I was recently gifted this Maple from a friend who collected it from his property. It appeared to be dying and it was brought back to health in a pot. The top part looks to be dead wood with new growth towards the bottom. I would love to know when is the best time and place to chop the trunk? I would also love to hear some steps to take to protect it throughout winter (Michigan, USA zone 6b.) My plan was to keep it in this pot and add some mulch or something on the top to protect it from frost. Or maybe I will just store it in the garage? Any other tips in making this into a cool bonsai?

Please let me hear some thoughts.

Thank you!
YG

 

[Shibui]

The die back may have been from transplant at a difficult time of year but maples are reasonably tough so it has survived. Dead part can be cut off as it will rot away soon anyway.
Not sure what sort of maple it is but that may have some bearing on how hardy it will be. Some close up pics of the leaves may help with ID

There are all sorts of cool bonsai. Some beginners are happy with almost any thin trunk in a pot. Some of us prefer to grow trees that look like trees with thick, gnarly trunks and branches that look real. To achieve the first you can plant it in a pot and just keep trimming any branches that get too long. To achieve the second you'll need to let it grow much bigger to grow the trunk thick quicker and then chop back hard to make it shorter again. We would normally continue that cycle several times to achieve a good trunk then start growing branches and ramification. maybe a 10 year project?

Hope someone who knows your area can help with winter care of these maples.

 

[BonsaiRae]

I live in Iowa. I have a redbud that I have over wintered in the garage for the last 3 years. (The garage still gets cold but liquids don't seem to freeze so I call it my safe zone for overwintering.) I try to give it a small amount of water about once a month while it is in the garage. When I feel the temps are acceptable and no chance of hard freeze I put it back outside all summer.