Might pick this tree up. Good starter Jap Maple?

[Porkchop]

im thinking about buying this tree. It is 11" tall and 12" wide 2 years old. I think it would make a great bonsai. Thoughts? How to's?

 

[Cypress187]

It looks grafted, you might want to pass on this unless you know how to deal with it.

 

[Adair M]

It's grafted, most likely a Bloodgood. Will always have long internodes.

 

[Adair M]

Standard "green" Japanese maple seedlings make the best bonsai. Especially for beginners.

 

[Rid]

And order from evergreen gardenworks. They have the green Japanese maples along with many other varieties with no grafts.

 

[GGB]

I have a ton of fun playing with seedling green JM. They sprout all over the place here and grow like dandelions.

 

[Porkchop]

It's grafted, most likely a Bloodgood. Will always have long internodes.

It looks grafted, you might want to pass on this unless you know how to deal with it.

Why do you say it's grafted? It's a Acer Palma dwarf Japanese maple. 'Babe's Dwarf'. It's at a tree nursery not a bonsai shop

 

[Stan Kengai]

Here is the graft. Practically all maples in the nursery trade are grafted. There are three main problems with grafted plants. The first is the quality of the graft. This is where you consider factors like: how high up the trunk is the graft, how well are the scion and root stock aligned, and how well is the scion seated. The second is the difference in growth rates between the scion and the root stock, which can create an obvious bulge in the trunk. Like this:

The third problem is the possible difference in bark texture between the scion and root stock.

I am not saying that grafted plants are bad or not to use grafted plants. However, the nursery trade doesn't generally care about any of these things that we as bonsai growers see a potential problems. They are growing the plants for a different audience/consumer.

 

[_#1_]

It's at a tree nursery not a bonsai shop

Every tree nursery I go to has all grafted JM. The roots are always the more hardier regular green while the trunks are some fancy cultivar.

That's just my experience from the one year doing this. Nothing wrong with graft as long as union is clean and you know what you wanna do with it.

 

[Porkchop]

Ok. I didn't see that or notice it thank you for the help. I still think I'm going to get it. I like the shape already and see a lot of potential in it. I think I'm going to get it. Any tips on shaping and wiring the tree?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Save your money. Order from EvergreenGardenworks.com or a nursery where the specifically state "rooted cutting or growing on own roots".
If it doesn't say one of the above, it will be grafted.

Evergreen's prices are reasonable for young material, and they are reliable. I've been ordering from them yearly, for over a decade.

 

[M. Frary]

Or maybe lop off the red part and grow out the rootstock.