NaoTK building a classic informal upright JM

[NaoTK]

I got this maple from Telperion in 2019 for $125. I wanted one nice classic "pine-like" Japanese maple. What attracted me to it was the nice twist at the base, you will see later this is the focal point.

June 2019 as purchased



2019 August did a chop clean up of escape branch. I initially kept the secondary trunk thinking I might make a double trunk


Spring 2020. The base flare is radial because the roots are nicely distributed.


Spring 2021- chop is healing over nicely. The first branch is a thread graft right where the twist changes direction. The new leader is the tiny branch on the right side near the top.


June 2022. Chopped back to the new leader. The first branch thread graft was severed.


Nov 2022. I will repot it in 2023. The first branch will be allowed to run all next year. I will pick a 2nd branch and also pick and wire out the new leader. Open to suggestions and we can thread graft anywhere. This will be a medium size tree about 2ft when finished.

 

[yenling83]

Crushing it Nao! Nice progression, great use of the material! If you rotate the front counter clock wise just a hair to hide that lower right hand bulge on the trunk, how does it look?

One option you could play with would be air layering the very top, then growing it as a second trunk on the right side. I'd even think about grafting the air layer back onto the trunk, which would make the trunk look fatter and hide the bulge on the lower right hand side of the trunk. This is probably way easier said then done. Here's a really crappy virtual, that I should have spent more time on. If you simply planted the little air layer next to the tree it would look nice as well.

You have a great start with the tree and I guarantee it will be very nice however you do it. Keeping it single trunk will be an incredible tree as well!



Michael H did something similar here:

https://crataegus.com/2010/11/06/japanese-maple-once-again/

 

[BobbyLane]

I like where its headed. I like the scar! Lol

 

[NaoTK]

Crushing it Nao! Nice progression, great use of the material! If you rotate the front counter clock wise just a hair to hide that lower right hand bulge on the trunk, how does it look?

Thanks Jeremiah for the feedback and simulation. I hadn't thought of using the bulge, I will consider it. It does go away if you rotate. I guess I hoped it would blend away when the base flare improves. I could also just lop it off.

Telperion did some great work, but they also did things like not clean up cuts when they did chops. So for this tree the very first leader was chopped but they left a collar that swelled around the dead leader. A lesson for us all.



The density of branches in your simulation surprised me. I hadn't considered such density but will now think about it. I suppose I was inspired by a loose style like this one in Kobayashi's garden



actually this one is similar in style to mine but denser like your sim.

 

[19Mateo83]

I’m loving this tree! I’m excited to see how this progresses, keep the updates coming!

 

[InstilledChaos]

This has great movement in a relatively small area. You have set it up for a great future! Well done. The bulge doesn’t really bother me. I agree it will soften with age, and this isn’t really a “delicate” tree that demands a smooth transition of taper. The bumpiness will contribute to the feeling of ancient gnarliness!

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

I like where this is headed! Is that epoxy in the wound to help it roll over?

 

[NaoTK]

Here is a winter 2024 update. 5 chops now.

The tree leans toward the viewer and there is a nice twisting action left right left right.


This was how I left the roots 20 months ago in 2023, so when I repot next spring they should be quite planar.




Next 2 year plan is to add a bunch of branches and build to the upper right. The silhouette will be rounded and full eventually