Sean’s Trident Projects

[SeanS]

 

[clem]

Hello, I am pleasantly surprised by the small internodes on your trident maples.

I have no experience with this species, so it may be easier to obtain than on an acer palmatum ?

Can you elaborate on the techniques you use to have such small internodes ? (cultivation, pruning, defoliation, etc.)

 

[Yamabudoudanshi]

The multi trunked one in the round unglazed pot on the previous oage os really starting to come together.

Also, the multi trunk ROR reminded me of one I reported earlier this year. Not my tree, but at the garden I work part time at. Similar idea anyway.

Keep up the good work.

 

[SeanS]

The multi trunked one in the round unglazed pot on the previous oage os really starting to come together.

Also, the multi trunk ROR reminded me of one I reported earlier this year. Not my tree, but at the garden I work part time at. Similar idea anyway.

Keep up the good work.

Thanks @Yamabudoudanshi!
The round unglazed is the only pot I had on-hand that would fit the swollen nebari of that little tree, it definitely isn’t my first choice but it does the job for now. I started that tree with 5 individual saplings I collected from a local garden, which I tied together with a piece of wire. Part of the wire is still embedded in the nebari but has been covered by the tree.

September 2021

 

[SeanS]

Hello, I am pleasantly surprised by the small internodes on your trident maples.

I have no experience with this species, so it may be easier to obtain than on an acer palmatum ?

Can you elaborate on the techniques you use to have such small internodes ? (cultivation, pruning, defoliation, etc.)

Hi @clem, tridents do naturally have smaller internodes than JM when you apply bonsai techniques. Tridents can be defoliated (partially or fully) very reliably. I generally partially defoliate my tridents 2 or 3 times each growing season which then produces multiple flushes of small twigs and branches. Doing this year after year allows you to build up very fine, dense ramification.

 

[SeanS]

Reduced all of my in-ground tridents today. Here are 3 of my RORs that I’m really excited to dig up in spring. I’m likely reduce them a bit more closer to excavation time.

 

[SeanS]

2 chunky bois
Both will be sumos with really thin upper trunks.

 

[leatherback]

Both will be sumos with really thin upper trunks.

Are you leaving them like this, to now develop the canopy?
Asking as I would probably push the trunk a bit more the get smoother overall appearance..

 

[eplov90]

@SeanS fantastic progress as usual!

Quick question -- what is your plan for the major gap around the base of this trident:



I am assuming those whips are the top part of thread grafts that are adding roots to the opposite side and not currently trying to address the gap.

I have a few large JMs with a similar gap and I am stumped(no pun intended) as to how to handle it,

 

[SeanS]

@SeanS fantastic progress as usual!

Quick question -- what is your plan for the major gap around the base of this trident:

View attachment 603114

I am assuming those whips are the top part of thread grafts that are adding roots to the opposite side and not currently trying to address the gap.

I have a few large JMs with a similar gap and I am stumped(no pun intended) as to how to handle it,

That gap is actually really odd. I don’t remember this being the case when I put the tree in the ground 3 years ago, but there’s a solid plate like nebari under those 2 “legs”. I screwed the tree to a wooden board 3 springs ago and put it in the ground for 2 seasons. Last spring when I dug it up there was a single plate of callus over the board, but with that gap all the way through between 2 stilt-like legs on the lower trunk. So I’m going to keep it that way as it’s quite unique and odd. The grafts are just to add some extra roots around the periphery of the plated base, but not to fill the gap.

It reminds me of these cat jewellery holders. The white porcelain base is like the solid plated nebari under the soil at the moment. There’s no gap or bare spot on the actual nebari.

 

[SeanS]

To add, if there wasn’t the solid plate of continuous nebari under the gap I wouldn’t be as accepting and would probably plan to ground layer the tree, but the base adds interest and odd uniqueness as it is now.

 

[SeanS]

Got through 3 more today. I’m running a bit behind on my winter work, I’ve got about 5 weeks before trees start waking up.

This is a 7 trunk seedling clump that I started through a washer. One of the trunks died 2 seasons ago so I grafted a new seedling into the gap last spring. 4 seasons old from seed.







Here’s the grafted trunk. Seems like it’s fused into the clump. I’ll repot in spring and then be able to tell for sure





I didn’t take photos of the full grafting process last spring. Here are 2 shots of the start of the procedure. Notice the missing smaller left hand trunk

 

[SeanS]

15 trunk clump, 5 seasons old from seed. Also started through a washer but always been in a pot. The one above spent one season in the ground.





Shohin ROR. I’m going to cut off the thick right branch but want to use the long whips for a graft to replace it next season before I remove it. Also 5 seasons old from seed.