Tidal Bonsai
Omono
A while ago, I posted pictures of a giant Acer Palmatum that I bought as a birthday present for myself in the Fall. Multiple club members saw this piece of stock, and didn't pull the trigger because of its large size...I was crazy enough to go for it! I arranged for Sergio Cuan @MACH5 to work with myself and two other club members at my house. He really liked the piece of material, and couldn't believe I bought it from a big box store! After a lengthy discussion, he and I decided to play it safe since we did not know the kind of care it was given the previous season. We did most of our work to the roots, and only removed one branch from the tree (leaving a small stump behind for it to compartmentalize).
This tree got a similar treatment to his giant European Hornbeam (which is documented on the forum). About 2/3 of the rootball was removed with a handsaw, pickaxe, and reciprocating saw (which was quite a chore!!!). Afterwards, the roots were loosened with a spike and the tree was planted in a wooden grow box filled with pumice, and topped with sphagnum moss. This will be stored in my temperature controlled shed until Spring. Believe it, or not, we got all this done in only four hours!!!
Going forward, this tree is going to get plenty water, fertilizer, sun, and TLC! Once it pushes lots of growth, we will work on the top of the tree next year. We discussed an idea for its design, but that will be saved for later... Sergio is a great guy, and has an amazing eye for detail! I had a great time, and am very grateful for all of his help/guidance on this maple, as well as the other trees I had in my collection. We had good meals, good homebrew, good conversation about bonsai and good laughs! I recommend him to everyone and hope to see him soon in the future!
-Sal
This tree got a similar treatment to his giant European Hornbeam (which is documented on the forum). About 2/3 of the rootball was removed with a handsaw, pickaxe, and reciprocating saw (which was quite a chore!!!). Afterwards, the roots were loosened with a spike and the tree was planted in a wooden grow box filled with pumice, and topped with sphagnum moss. This will be stored in my temperature controlled shed until Spring. Believe it, or not, we got all this done in only four hours!!!
Going forward, this tree is going to get plenty water, fertilizer, sun, and TLC! Once it pushes lots of growth, we will work on the top of the tree next year. We discussed an idea for its design, but that will be saved for later... Sergio is a great guy, and has an amazing eye for detail! I had a great time, and am very grateful for all of his help/guidance on this maple, as well as the other trees I had in my collection. We had good meals, good homebrew, good conversation about bonsai and good laughs! I recommend him to everyone and hope to see him soon in the future!
-Sal
Keep us posted on the maple. Still can't believe it's from HD!! Pictures don't do this monster justice.
Seeing Sergio's Arakawa and the information on root grafting has motivated me to do a few root grafts on my other JMs. Thank you!
