Shishigashira - seeking input

[apr]

Hi folks

I got this shishi today for £55/$70. I know there are some nuances with this variety to learn.

Either way I am excited to try and at the very least it will make a great garden tree.



The graft is not bad, haven't exposed it all yet but the root stock is the same thickness and goes down dead straight about 4 inches. Root structure unknown.




My plan is air/ground layering to start getting some extra trees to play around with.

My inexperienced eyes are telling me the trunk is boring no movement, taper and already some swelling.

Are there any branches that are screaming out as a starting point ?

(Will take a closer look later currently)

Thanks !

 

[River's Edge]

This species is very easy to develop and grow quickly.
Things to watch out for are longer straight sections and allowing too many shoots to develop in the same locations or too close together.
With this in mind be prepared to pay close attention to consistent shoot selection throughout the growing season.

1.Advantages to developing include the ease of thread grafting so be sure to keep additional branching during development for this purpose. The trick is to wire the shoot into the desired positions in advance as they grow. Waiting longer the shoots will be too brittle to bend back to the trunk for thread grafting.
2. Start as low as possible to develop movement unless you are choosing a formal upright style.
3. keep in mind that the leaf size reduces down easily and is suitable for medium small overall size with powerful trunks.
4. This species it is difficult to get taper between internodes so avoid longer sections without change of direction.
5. Must wire new shoots from the get go they thicken and become difficult to wire quickly. The bark marks easily so pay close attention to wire biting in. best to use aluminum and wrap if desired to improve effectiveness.

The overall implication for development process is that creating or removing air layers quickly will reduce the development advantages inherent in this species.

One further hint. Use a tourniquet wire prior to air layer to develop some basal flare prior to executing the air layer. They respond very well to this approach.

For this tree I would choose to work with the right side as portrayed in the first picture. Be sure to vary the internode length as you develop the upper portion and avoid the natural slingshot appearance with branching. One way to do this is to quickly create bifurcation and reduce internode length carefully as you progress. I would air layer the base at the first internode section showing new shoots as indicated in the first picture. This appears to be just above the graft area and above a slight area of inverse taper developing.
last reminder, constant shoot selection and reduction to avoid unnecessary bulging and inverse taper with this species. Here is one picture to portray the thread grafting process because it requires more advance wiring and planning than with most species.

 

[MalsRFun in TN]

One further hint. Use a tourniquet wire prior to air layer to develop some basal flare prior to executing the air layer. They respond very well to this approach.

I'm totally new and don't know exactly what you are saying. Does the wire go on some period of time before you start the layer or as you are doing the layer around the top of scraping the cambium?

 

[SeanS]

I'm totally new and don't know exactly what you are saying. Does the wire go on some period of time before you start the layer or as you are doing the layer around the top of scraping the cambium?

As River’s Edge mentioned you apply the tourniquet some time prior/before you execute the layer. A few months or even a season before will produce a good amount of swelling and flare.

 

[River's Edge]

I'm totally new and don't know exactly what you are saying. Does the wire go on some period of time before you start the layer or as you are doing the layer around the top of scraping the cambium?

Yes, the purpose is to produce a flare prior to beginning the actual root layering. This gives a more aesthetically pleasing natural look to the base of the tree, it also collects and stores the hormones that assist in root production ahead of time at the site you wish to produce the roots. This is not a new thing simply a more traditional approach commonly used to produce better results. It does take more effort and time.
If I could suggest an excellent resource for a new person to obtain it would be merrigioli book on maples. The formative techniques are generally valid for most deciduous species and will give the beginner a broad understanding of developing Bonsai. Particularly maples. It is wise to gain an understanding of basic techniques early on in the process.
A smaller book with excellent beginner information is Bonsai with Japanese Maples by Peter Adams. 2nd edition.

 

[apr]

This species is very easy to develop and grow quickly.
Things to watch out for are longer straight sections and allowing too many shoots to develop in the same locations or too close together.
With this in mind be prepared to pay close attention to consistent shoot selection throughout the growing season.

1.Advantages to developing include the ease of thread grafting so be sure to keep additional branching during development for this purpose. The trick is to wire the shoot into the desired positions in advance as they grow. Waiting longer the shoots will be too brittle to bend back to the trunk for thread grafting.
2. Start as low as possible to develop movement unless you are choosing a formal upright style.
3. keep in mind that the leaf size reduces down easily and is suitable for medium small overall size with powerful trunks.
4. This species it is difficult to get taper between internodes so avoid longer sections without change of direction.
5. Must wire new shoots from the get go they thicken and become difficult to wire quickly. The bark marks easily so pay close attention to wire biting in. best to use aluminum and wrap if desired to improve effectiveness.

The overall implication for development process is that creating or removing air layers quickly will reduce the development advantages inherent in this species.

One further hint. Use a tourniquet wire prior to air layer to develop some basal flare prior to executing the air layer. They respond very well to this approach.

For this tree I would choose to work with the right side as portrayed in the first picture. Be sure to vary the internode length as you develop the upper portion and avoid the natural slingshot appearance with branching. One way to do this is to quickly create bifurcation and reduce internode length carefully as you progress. I would air layer the base at the first internode section showing new shoots as indicated in the first picture. This appears to be just above the graft area and above a slight area of inverse taper developing.
last reminder, constant shoot selection and reduction to avoid unnecessary bulging and inverse taper with this species. Here is one picture to portray the thread grafting process because it requires more advance wiring and planning than with most species.

Thanks for the detailed reply - im ordering a copy of bonsai maples tonight as well.

I think i will start as you suggested, applying some wire to start swelling prior air layering. Would spring be the ideal time for this ? Im assuming you would apply enough pressure for the wire to bite a bit, but not enough to cause any damage to the cambium and bark at this stage ? Would you allow the wire to bite and swell for an entire season ? I had in mind starting an airlayer once the first flush had hardened.

As for working with the right side of the tree, I can see that removing the left thick branch leaves a trunk with the beginning of some movement, but little taper. I was thinking the thin shoot in the middle becomes the new leader and the rest is for the chop ?


Do you have any thoughts on how many air layers are too many ?

I think with this rough plan, i will end up with:

- air layered trunk on its own roots

- remaining rootstock and some of the shishi trunk/shoots to start it growing again

- potentially layer another branch to have more future material ?


Thanks for your help so far - will definitely remember to keep ontop of the newer shoots- unfortunately i cant get into the garden for a proper look at the branches in more detail for the moment.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Here's my thread, in case you want to learn from my mistakes and successes.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/wulfskaars-shishigashira-maple-lions-head.50792/

I air layered in 2023 at 2 places on the tree. One eventually dried out and died. The other took a year to get roots. Luckily, that air layered tree is still alive. I'm looking forward to see it produce new leaves this spring.

The mother tree is still kicking too, and I think I will be doing more air layers and maybe a ground layer at some point.

 

[River's Edge]

Thanks for the detailed reply - im ordering a copy of bonsai maples tonight as well.

I think i will start as you suggested, applying some wire to start swelling prior air layering. Would spring be the ideal time for this ? Im assuming you would apply enough pressure for the wire to bite a bit, but not enough to cause any damage to the cambium and bark at this stage ? Would you allow the wire to bite and swell for an entire season ? I had in mind starting an airlayer once the first flush had hardened.

As for working with the right side of the tree, I can see that removing the left thick branch leaves a trunk with the beginning of some movement, but little taper. I was thinking the thin shoot in the middle becomes the new leader and the rest is for the chop ?


Do you have any thoughts on how many air layers are too many ?

I think with this rough plan, i will end up with:

- air layered trunk on its own roots

- remaining rootstock and some of the shishi trunk/shoots to start it growing again

- potentially layer another branch to have more future material ?


Thanks for your help so far - will definitely remember to keep ontop of the newer shoots- unfortunately i cant get into the garden for a proper look at the branches in more detail for the moment.

One of the points I was alluding to was if you kept more it would progress faster. You seem to be leaning towards multiple chops and creating multiple air layers. This species is very inexpensive to purchase and grows so quickly that I am not sure that is the best use of your time and resources. Not too mention it may not be the most cost effective if it takes 10 years to create something desirable out of all the pieces.
Just a consideration.

As to specifics.
The tourniquet to create swelling can be applied anytime and removed when the desired effect is obtained. Then reapplied at the most effective timer the air layering. This allows for varying growth rates and seasonal influences, also allowing you to begin the process and time the air layering for best results.
If you remove both sides and keep the small shoot the progress will be very slow to heal the scars and develop the central shoot. Leaving you with a straight section on top of a straight section with a scar on each side. Not sure if you desire that outcome.
No rush to make decisions, as I indicated earlier this species takes considerable advance planning due to its natural growth characteristics. If there is someone locally experienced with this species it would be worthwhile to check their trees and talk with them.

 

[Jphipps]

This is what I see, but a little hard to tell from 1 angle.

Brown line is the air layer to set the new base right at that current swelling.

Red line is cutting off that too thick branch (or air layer it off further up if it's worth saving some of it).

Green line is the new main trunk line with the left portion being a new primary branch.

Yellow arrow pointing to that thin vertical branch that could be used to turn this into a twin trunk since it originates right near your projected new base.

 

[apr]

Wire tourniquet went on today and its been repotted to get it out of the rubbish it was in.



I have the Merrigioli maples book now and probably need to read it through a few times.

I am probably going to keep an eye on the second big branch and chop it once the tree is a bit more dormant before autumn, but will have go keep an eye on how much it might swell during the next few months.

Looking forward to seeing how this leafs out in the next few weeks