Beetleman72
Mame
I recently purchased this green Japanese maple and I was hoping to get your suggestions on what to do to it this coming spring
Suggestions for my new big green maple
- Thread starter Beetleman72
- Start date
marcosolo
Mame
Nice nebari.....I would cut back to the beginning of those two trunk and build from there....repot in early spring and chop at the same time....make sure when you repot you do some root pruning on some of the thicker ones that are bound to be there and try and shallow out the the root mass......
marcosolo
Mame
On further inspection, this has a lot of potential, nice find....
Ris
Shohin
I wouldn't do any root work next spring, I would cut back 2 branches at a time leaving a top branch to pull the strength upwards making the lower branches bud like crazy. Then following spring cut the top branch of having the new lower branches use the energy to build structure.
I say this based from my own experience with my maples.
The catch was the nebari that's a great start.
Have fun.
I say this based from my own experience with my maples.
The catch was the nebari that's a great start.
Have fun.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,495
- Reaction score
- 32,270
- USDA Zone
- 6a
I'm with Marco on this one. If this were my tree, I'd give alot of fertilizer and sun this year with the goal of chopping and working the roots next year, probably some time in February for you. The tree has a descent nebari, but it can be so much better, and that will take time and effort. Build nebari and trunk first, then branches...putting off the root work will only delay the tree's development. Great stock here, good luck with it.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Agreed...build bonsai from the bottom-up. Work the roots next spring to eliminate anything growing down, and get it into a shallow pot/wood box with some good soil. Then, identify the trunk line.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Great find!
Beetleman72
Mame
235 bucks from my local nursery, couldn't pass it up. So Brian and Dave youre saying in the spring to only do root work and repot, no chopping this year?
Beetleman72
Mame
When i do the roots should I get all of the old soil out? My concern is that its in like a 35 gallon pot so there is quite a root mass on this one am I'm afraid that if I try and get all of the old soil out it'll leave the roots exposed for too long.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
You repot in the spring, just as buds are swelling. Bare-root it, removing all the soil, combing it out with a root hook, and using a hose. Exposed too long is not a problem, just keep spraying them throughout the process. My Japanese Maple was bare-rooted and without water for 3 hours during a repotting while I was grafting new roots into it. You have more time than you think, but do the work in one session. Here is a post on repotting a J. Maple.
Then get the roots into one horizontal plane, spread out radially. Repot into good bonsai soil, whatever you use. You can chop it before you do the root work, or let it go for a year to get the roots reestablished, then chop in the spring of '15.
Then get the roots into one horizontal plane, spread out radially. Repot into good bonsai soil, whatever you use. You can chop it before you do the root work, or let it go for a year to get the roots reestablished, then chop in the spring of '15.
Dav4
Drop Branch Murphy
- Messages
- 13,495
- Reaction score
- 32,270
- USDA Zone
- 6a
I would chop and do the root work next spring.......but Brian has nicer, much more developed palmatums then I do. If I were you, I'd follow his advice
.
Beetleman72
Mame
How much of the roots can I safely remove without chopping the top?
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
A lot. Remove from can, saw the bottom half off and discard, remove soil, and prune back another 50% or so of what's left. Keep the fine roots closest to the trunk and growing outward, and remove the big roots furthest from the trunk and growing downward.
Wire it securely into the pot, cover the soil with crumbled sphagnum moss, and water daily until it gets established, which takes 5-6 weeks.
Martin Sweeney
Chumono
Beetleman72,
The Bonsai Society of the Carolinas has a yearly repotting session in February (usually the 2nd Saturday of the month, usually at the McMillan Greenhouses at UNCC). Please feel free to come and bring it even if you are not a member. You can prune (trunk chop) it back so it fits in your vehicle and we can look at determining a proper trunk chop location and repot it. I'll be happy to help you with it. Other members would be happy to help as well.
Regards,
Martin
The Bonsai Society of the Carolinas has a yearly repotting session in February (usually the 2nd Saturday of the month, usually at the McMillan Greenhouses at UNCC). Please feel free to come and bring it even if you are not a member. You can prune (trunk chop) it back so it fits in your vehicle and we can look at determining a proper trunk chop location and repot it. I'll be happy to help you with it. Other members would be happy to help as well.
Regards,
Martin
Beetleman72
Mame
I live a good distance from Charlotte but I would love to attend a workshop. Pm me the specifics if you would and ill see if I can make it.
discusmike
Omono
Nice tree,i would take Martins invitation,cant go wrong.
Wow, that's a really nice tree - some people have all the luck! Great nebari and I love the bark - the mottled look reminds me of some dogwood trees around here.
Like Dav4 and BVF, I would repot next year. You can be very aggressive in cutting off a lot of roots on it without much worry. With the root splay you have now, I imagine that you can likely get it into a fairly shallow grow container.
Have you thought about what you want to do with the tree? Single trunk line, or spreading canopy with multiple trunks? If the latter, you might want to keep the growth on them somewhat under control this year so that you don't end up having them be too thick for the final design for the tree. But like others said, I would plan on chopping next year too.
Good luck - it's very nice material!
Like Dav4 and BVF, I would repot next year. You can be very aggressive in cutting off a lot of roots on it without much worry. With the root splay you have now, I imagine that you can likely get it into a fairly shallow grow container.
Have you thought about what you want to do with the tree? Single trunk line, or spreading canopy with multiple trunks? If the latter, you might want to keep the growth on them somewhat under control this year so that you don't end up having them be too thick for the final design for the tree. But like others said, I would plan on chopping next year too.
Good luck - it's very nice material!
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Yes I agree very nice find! Have fun with it!!
Beetleman72
Mame
Thank you very much. I had envisioned a smaller version of the shape it has now, I like the umbrella kind of look on this one. What would you cut back to keep the top growth in check?
Yeah I like the spreading canopy look on maples like this myself. If you're happy with the caliper of the sub-trunks, then I would consider chopping the tree back so that they don't thicken much more. You don't have to chop all that much - if each of those sub-trunks was 3' long, you could cut them back a foot to help slow down the thickening.
Similar threads
