My 1st Japanese Maple forest

[bonsaiwood]

Having a go at making a Japanese Maple forest using three-year old seedlings I've been growing out on the bench. This will be a long term project of mine, more of a clip and grow approach with minimal wire. Keeping this open to ideas and suggestions as I document the progress.




Lots of roots roots circling the ceramic pot they were planted in..




I mean, lots!




I should not have used a pot with a single drain hole as they do a poor job of draining water out.. but the pot was only temporary and seedlings were tiny.




Raked out the roots gently paying close attention not to damage the feeders I planned on keeping.




Matting of roots in just a couple of years.. too bad I had already cut some before I took the photo.




Separated out the largest trees first and noticed the roots had began to attach to from one to the next.. I was able to wiggle them around just enough to stagger them to my liking without damaging the roots.




Setting the pillars first..




Arranged the remaining seedlings with an eye on trunk curves and bends as I went along.. I was clearly going for a natural appearance here. Far from perfect but it's a decent start to a forest in development.

 

[Shibui]

Congratulations on assembling your first group. The range of trunk thickness and height looks good. The only negative I can see is the gap through the middle of the group. It is common but will probably come to bug you as it did in one of my early groups however I found a really easy fix for mine. Next year, (or in future if/when you find it is bugging you) cut the group down the middle then twist one side slightly behind the other to close the gap near the back.

 

[bonsaiwood]

Thank you for the insight Shibui. Yes, now that you mention it, the gap in the middle is quite obvious. Great suggestion on how to correct this little bugger.

 

[bonsaiwood]

Went for the gusto and stuck another seedling in the forest. We'll see how things look in spring.

Side A



Side B

 

[Desaz]

I've been wanting to start a maple grouping or forest. I have 3 small seedlings all of which have wide crowns. Here they are. My question is WHEN? When do I transfer them into the bonsai pot for the grouping? This winter? I am 1 year new to bonsai and really need coaching. Thank you for posting all your progress!!

 

[Paradox]

I've been wanting to start a maple grouping or forest. I have 3 small seedlings all of which have wide crowns. Here they are. My question is WHEN? When do I transfer them into the bonsai pot for the grouping? This winter? I am 1 year new to bonsai and really need coaching. Thank you for posting all your progress!!

Best time to do this is the same time as repotting. Late winter/early spring as the buds are starting to swell.

 

[Desaz]

Best time to do this is the same time as repotting. Late winter/early spring as the buds are starting to swell.

Thank you. This new hobby is teaching me patience. Something I never learned in the corporate world.

 

[Paradox]

Thank you. This new hobby is teaching me patience. Something I never learned in the corporate world.

Yes bonsai will teach you patience or you'll have a lot of trouble keeping trees alive.

It taught me patience for sure.
It's a good thing

 

[bonsaiwood]

This little composition really popped this spring. Zero leaf thinning and no shoot removal up this point. Just letting it run wild to get those roots growing strong.



Close up view of the forest floor.



Did I forget to mention how fun these are to play with?

 

[bonsaiwood]

Paradox is spot on with timing- though I may have started mine a few weeks before bud swell, it did not seem to make a difference as the plants were dormant anyway and winters in central CA are mild. My maples stay outside 365 days/year.

 

[Paradox]

Paradox is spot on with timing- though I may have started mine a few weeks before bud swell, it did not seem to make a difference as the plants were dormant anyway and winters in central CA are mild. My maples stay outside 365 days/year.

I think doing it a bit earlier is fine.
Later, not so much because of increased needs once the leaves are out.

 

[Shibui]

In mild climates you can start even earlier. It's not quite mid winter down here and I've started digging and root pruning deciduous already. Been doing that for years now and have no adverse reactions form maples. Chinese elms seem to do better when root pruned closer to spring growth.

I have 3 small seedlings all of which have wide crowns

Wide crowns may not be the best choice for a group planting. The result should look like the trees grew together and branches normally grow away from other trees. Wide crown may require removing some branches to make them fit together.

Zero leaf thinning and no shoot removal up this point. Just letting it run wild to get those roots growing strong.

Not only growing strong roots. Also thickening the trunks much faster than regularly trimmed trees. The good thing about maples is they can be chopped back to size when you are ready.
Just keep an eye on how much the outside trees grow. They have more space for roots and tend to grow faster than the inner trees which can reverse the desired trunk thickness - Taller, thicker near the middle of the group, tinner trunks around the perimeter and toward the back.

 

[bonsaiwood]

Nothing really exciting going on with this guy. We'll see how it looks in Spring.